BREAKING NEWS: Good Morning Britain viewers ‘switch off’ over same Susanna and Ed complaint
Ed Balls and Susanna Reid hosted a north vs south debate on Good Morning Britain (Image: ITV)
Good Morning Britain viewers were left fuming as the show hosted a north vs south debate following the appointment of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister. Hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls welcomed broadcaster Terry Christian and businesswoman Claudia Hearne to the show to face off on the issue, asking whether the south should be subsidising the north. However, it hit a bum note with people at home who took to X to slam the concept, accusing the show of London bias.
One raged: “I’m not having this less than 24 hours [after Burnham’s appointment] GMB talking utter cr*p, I cannot remember Burnham saying the south will be paying for the North, only uniting the country and less London-centric politics.” Another seethed: “@GMB Despite the programme title, they’re only interested in England. Manchester isn’t even the centre of mainland Britain, let alone ‘North’. Preston is the midpoint of the road from Land’s End to John O’Groats, and Kirkwall is much nearer to Bergen than Manchester. STV should drop this c**p.”
A third chimed in: “#gmb we will be asking. Do the South subsidise the North? Turns over.”
A fourth pondered: “#GMB Production team discussing how we can promote division today….I know….. North v South never fails.”
A fifth opined: “This North VS South debate is already exhausting. The snobbery about the north is really showing itself so soon #GMB.”
Meanwhile, a sixth observed: #gmb I’m no great fan of #andyburnham, but it’s fascinating to see how the moment even lip service is paid to cutting London’s funding, even marginally, its supporters are screeching like a pig in an abbatoir. Welcome to the North, constantly starved to pump the southern economy.”
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he intends to split his time between north and south (Image: Getty)
The debate comes after Burnham had confirmed he would split his time between Downing Street in London and the North with plans to create a “No 10 North”.
He revealed that the location of No 10 North will be near Manchester Piccadilly station and it will form part of the Manchester Digital Campus, a government hub being built on a 2.2-hectare site at the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats.
Groundworks began in June 2026, with main construction planned for 2027–2029 and full operations expected by 2032.
He told LBC: “This is about obviously extending the Downing Street operation, creating a North Pole, if you like, so that the country can see that the power is more balanced. No 10 North will act in the interests of everywhere, though.”
