Good Morning Britain has been hit with over 8,200 Ofcom complaints in response to Ed Balls’ fiery clash with Zarah Sultana on Monday (5/8).
The MP for Coventry South accused Balls of using “sneering contempt” to interview her as they spoke about far-right violence across the UK.
Sultana had argued that outbreaks of violence across the country should be labelled as Islamophobic due to multiple mosques being targetted, but the assertion was met with resistance from Balls.
“These are not trivial matters,” Sultana began, but Garraway interjected, “Sorry, we do have to ask you questions as well.”
“Absolutely –” Sultana attempted to continue, but Balls interrupted, “And if you want to, you can answer them, it’s your call.”
Sultana responded, “I’m just going to wait for Kate to finish her question, if that’s OK.”
Balls reiterated, “If you want to answer the questions you can, but you don’t have to.”
Garraway pressed, “Why is it important to you to use that specific word, Islamophobic? It’s been called racist, it’s been called thuggery. Why does that matter to you?”
Sultana highlighted that bricks were deliberately thrown at a mosque in Southport, with people inside fearing for their lives.
When Balls mentioned that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had condemned these attacks, Sultana responded, “I’m just finishing the question.”
The row has sparked uproar on social media, with more than 8,200 complaints filed so far.
Watch it in full below:
Related: ‘This is my England’: Fundraiser for carer whose car was burnt in riots hits £25k
