{"id":379249,"date":"2026-01-19T23:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T23:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/379249\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T23:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T23:39:11","slug":"susanna-reid-and-ed-balls-in-itv-gmb-bullying-row-as-car-crash-robert-jenrick-grilling-sparks-uproar-they-have-an-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/379249\/","title":{"rendered":"Susanna Reid and Ed Balls in ITV GMB ‘bullying’ row as ‘car crash’ Robert Jenrick grilling sparks uproar: ‘They have an agenda!’"},"content":{"rendered":"

An interview between Good Morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls with former Conservative MP Robert Jenrick has sparked debate online, with several slamming the “disrespectful” nature of the interview.<\/p>\n

The new Reform UK MP joined the ITV presenters to discuss his recent defection from the Conservative Party last week, a move that sent shockwaves through Westminster. <\/p>\n

However, throughout the interview, the trio regularly found themselves talking over one another, with Mr Jenrick facing challenge after challenge from the hosts.<\/p>\n

But it wasn’t just the presenters who came under fire from those watching at home, with Mr Jenrick also facing criticism for his supposedly “cocky” responses. <\/p>\n

\"ITV<\/p>\n

ITV GMB: Ed Balls, Susanna Reid and Robert Jenrick on Monday’s show <\/p>\n

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ITV<\/p>\n

In one particularly frosty exchange, Mr Balls quizzed Mr Jenrick on his personal ambition following his defection. “I want people to be ambitious,” Mr Jenrick began.<\/p>\n

“Most people in the country are ambitious. And so I\u2019m not ashamed to say, look, I want to be on a team which has the opportunity to fix the country and to turn things around.<\/p>\n

“Is it a dead set? No, absolutely not. Look, it\u2019s in the balance, as it is for the country right now. We don\u2019t know what the future holds.<\/p>\n

“You know how uncertain politics is at the best of times, let alone in the febrile world that we live in right now.<\/p>\n

\"RobertEx-shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick defected to Reform on Thursday | PA<\/p>\n

“I can\u2019t predict the future, but I can say this: that I do believe the next election is going to be very important, because the 20 or 30 years that we\u2019ve lived through now \u2014 and I\u2019m not blaming one party or the other, I think it\u2019s the whole political class together \u2014 has led to a situation where the economy has not really grown.<\/p>\n

“People\u2019s wages have stagnated. Everything from the potholes in the road to the NHS waiting list feels like it\u2019s going in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve made an argument for a long time that immigration has been out of control and had bad effects on people\u2019s lives-“<\/p>\n

Ms Reid then cut in to highlight to those at home: “Just to point out to viewers, you were immigration minister.”<\/p>\n

“I was,” Mr Jenrick responded. Ms Reid promptly continued: “I mean, you were literally in the position where you could have done something.”<\/p>\n

“I did. I did do that,” Mr Jenrick answered as he attempted to stand his ground, only for Ms Reid to mock: “Yes, you let a lot of people in and set up asylum hotels.”<\/p>\n

“Wrong. Wrong, Susanna,” Mr Jenrick protested. “Both of those things are wrong, Susanna.”<\/p>\n

Ms Reid kept the pressure on the new Reform UK MP: “Right, so you failed in your job?”<\/p>\n

\"ITV<\/p>\n

ITV GMB: Robert Jenrick was quizzed about his defection to Reform UK <\/p>\n

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ITV<\/p>\n

“No \u2014 well, let me finish. It\u2019s a bit of a silly argument, because the way-” Mr Jenrick began to respond only to find himself interrupted once more.<\/p>\n

Ms Reid interjected: “What\u2019s the silly argument? To say you were once in government and now you\u2019re saying that was a government that failed?”<\/p>\n

Mr Jenrick insisted: “To say that the number of people who came in under my watch rose. Actually, the way it works is-“<\/p>\n

The Reform UK politician was again interrupted, this time by Mr Balls. “It was the worst year for small boats when you were the immigration minister,” the former Labour MP said.<\/p>\n

\"ITV<\/p>\n

ITV GMB: Robert Jenrick was interrupted by Susanna Reid and Ed Balls throughout the discussion <\/p>\n

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ITV<\/p>\n

Mr Jenrick once again declared the pair were wrong before he answered: “It was the year in which the numbers fell by a third when I was in office. The only minister under whose watch the numbers actually came down.”<\/p>\n

Ms Reid spoke over Mr Jenrick once again to ask why then he resigned at the time, to which he explained: “That\u2019s because we signed up the Albania deal, which meant we started to get people out of the country.”<\/p>\n

The GMB host asked again why Mr Jenrick resigned as immigration minister. When Mr Jenrick replied by saying the government’s actions “weren’t enough”, a bemused Ms Reid intervened: “Sorry \u2014 you resigned from a position where you could do something because you couldn\u2019t do enough?”<\/p>\n

Mr Jenrick tried to stand firm: “I made changes to the system. We got the number of small boats coming down by a third. We started to close the hotels, which were a total disgrace. 100 of them we got closed.<\/p>\n

\"ITV<\/p>\n

ITV GMB: Ed Balls <\/p>\n

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ITV<\/p>\n

“I pushed for Rishi Sunak to make changes to legal migration, which take time to come in. So the results you\u2019re seeing today \u2014 the fact that numbers are coming down \u2014 is a result of those changes coming into effect.<\/p>\n

“I mean, Ed, from your experience, you know that\u2019s how it works. You make the changes, and then future ministers are the beneficiaries of that.<\/p>\n

“But, this is the important thing: I was not willing \u2014 or not able \u2014 to win the ultimate argument with Rishi, which is that we had to hive out all of these human rights claims and end this merry-go-round of legal claims, leave the ECHR [European Court of Human Rights].<\/p>\n

“And that was the only way in which you could detain and deport people coming across in the small boats. And so I did what I believed was the right thing, the honourable thing, which was to resign on a matter of principle, go on to the backbenches, campaign against and even vote against the last Conservative government.”<\/p>\n

\"ITV<\/p>\n

ITV GMB: Susanna Reid put Robert Jenrick on the spot a number of times <\/p>\n

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ITV<\/p>\n

Mr Balls then took the reins of the conversation, cutting in to ask: “If it was so obvious that Britain was broken at that point… If it was so obvious when you became immigration minister, then after one or two months, you would have resigned on principle.<\/p>\n

“You hung on for over a year, and when you judged Rishi Sunak was going to lose, your personal ambition dictated that you\u2019d be stronger. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that. It was a political gambit!”<\/p>\n

“Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed,” Mr Jenrick interrupted. “When I resigned from the last Conservative government, I thought that was the end of my political career.<\/p>\n

“I had no idea that I would ever do anything \u2014 honestly, I never had any idea that I would go back. I went on to the backbenches, and I voted against the government.”<\/p>\n

Following the rather heated exchange and numerous interruptions, the interview eventually drew to its conclusion following Ms Reid’s parting question.<\/p>\n

She asked: “What trust should your constituents have in you? You stood on the Conservative manifesto, and you were elected as the constituency MP on the Conservative manifesto.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m sure there are plenty of Conservative voters who think, ‘Hang on, you\u2019re not our MP anymore. Let us have a by-election and vote for the person we want to represent what we voted for.'”<\/p>\n

Mr Jenrick replied: “Yeah, I understand that. It\u2019s a perfectly reasonable question. I\u2019m not going to do a by-election. In our system, you vote for an individual. I appreciate that a lot of people also vote on party lines as well.<\/p>\n

‘You were Immigration Minister. You were literally in the position where you could have done something about immigration.’@susannareid100<\/a> challenges Robert Jenrick on his record as Immigration Minister following his decision to leave the Conservative Party and join Reform UK. pic.twitter.com\/YTtQy13J0r<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 19, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

“But I\u2019ve always tried to be an independent member of parliament \u2014 or independent-minded member of parliament.<\/p>\n

“At the last general election, I think there\u2019s evidence, really, by the fact that I was the only Conservative MP to hold my seat. The whole of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire \u2014 all the comparable seats \u2014 went mostly Labour.<\/p>\n

“People, I think, voted for me because many people did because they\u2019d seen that I\u2019d resigned. They knew that I spoke my mind. And what my constituents can be certain of is that I\u2019ll keep doing that. I\u2019ll keep representing them, keep holding Labour to account even more strongly.<\/p>\n

“And I\u2019m going to use the platform that I\u2019m lucky enough to have as their MP to make the argument that the country needs something new \u2014 a big change \u2014 and that the best way to bring that about is by rallying behind Nigel and getting a Reform government.”<\/p>\n

\"ITV<\/p>\n

ITV GMB: Tweets from viewers regarding the Jenrick interview <\/p>\n

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X<\/p>\n

Following the exchange, social media was alight with viewers at home keen to share their opinions on how the interview was conducted as well as Mr Jenrick’s responses.<\/p>\n

And reacting to the interview, one X user blasted the conduct of Ms Reid and Mr Balls, specifically: “How rude are Ed Balls and Susanna Reid when talking to Jenrick. Have they an agenda against him?”<\/p>\n

“Can somebody just remind me who Ed Balls\u2019 wife is, please? The always impartial Good Morning Britain. #GMB,” a second commented, alluding to Mr Balls’ marriage to Yvette Cooper.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, a third asked: “@GMB wtf is it with Ed Balls and Susanna Reid? Asking questions and never allowing a guest to reply without constantly interrupting? Who do they think they are? Terrible for some viewers who want to hear the answers.” (sic)<\/p>\n

\"RobertRobert Jenrick joined Reform UK on Thursday | PA<\/p>\n

And a fourth echoed: “@GMB Susanna Reid & Ed Balls showing disrespect at its finest…..making a point then over-talking the answer because they aren’t getting the answer they want. Absolutely car crash interviewing #stealingaliving.”<\/p>\n

“What is wrong with these presenters’ bullying tactics are disgraceful……both of them are like growling demented rotweilers towards this MP…..#gmb,” a fifth questioned, before a sixth penned: “I wish these two were as rigorous when interviewing Labour politicians, stopping answers. #GMB.”<\/p>\n

However, there was also plenty of support for Ms Reid and Mr Balls’ robust interviewing techniques, with some applauding the pair for putting Mr Jenrick on the spot.<\/p>\n

“Very cocky Robert Jenrick car crashing LIVE now on #GMB interview,” one X user typed alongside a laughing emoji, while a second argued: “Don\u2019t find myself agreeing with Ed Balls often, but he\u2019s got Jenrick on toast on GMB.”<\/p>\n

A third also defended the presenting duo: “Ed and Suze, better than Laura K at interviewing politicians and this is just a morning news programme. #GMB.” (sic)<\/p>\n