‘Excuse me!’ Furious GB News migrant row explodes on air as host forced to step in
GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry was forced to take control of a heated live debate after two guests repeatedly talked over one another during a discussion about immigration and rising public anger.
The clash unfolded on Monday, September 7, as Dewberry discussed recent protests in Dover and Portsmouth and the wider debate surrounding illegal migration in Britain.
She was joined by Turn Left Media founder Curtis Daly and author Matt Goodwin, but the conversation quickly became tense as the pair disagreed over whether media coverage has contributed to growing anti-immigration sentiment.
Daly began by arguing that immigration had fallen significantly from its 2023 peak.
“What I do want to point out is that migration fell from its peak in 2023 to 2025 by 47%, so we have some reduction in immigration,” he said.
He then questioned why public concern appeared to be increasing despite that fall.
Guests Clash Over Role of the Media
Daly cited analysis from the Financial Times, arguing that before Brexit, concern about immigration more closely tracked actual arrival levels, while more recent attitudes appeared to align more closely with newspaper coverage.
He suggested that constant reporting on the issue could be shaping public perceptions.
“If the media’s going to talk about it all of the time, and it should talk about it, then you can see that maybe we might have a warped reality on immigration,” Daly said.
Goodwin strongly rejected that argument.
He interrupted sarcastically: “It’s the media, it’s not the reality of our cities, towns and villages being completely reshaped.”
He then called Daly’s argument “completely ridiculous” and said polling had shown for decades that large numbers of British voters wanted migration reduced.
Goodwin referenced the British Election Study and other surveys, claiming that more than 70% of people had consistently supported lower migration since the 1970s.
Dewberry Steps In as Debate Erupts
As both guests began speaking at the same time, Dewberry attempted to regain control.
“Excuse me, don’t talk over each other,” she said.
But Daly continued trying to make another point, prompting Dewberry to intervene more sharply.
“Excuse me you two, I am chairing this debate, not you, thank you very much,” she said.
“I will decide where this conversation goes next.”
The presenter then criticised the constant interruptions, saying viewers could no longer properly follow the discussion.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing because people at home need to be able to hear this conversation,” she said.
“If you’re both just talking over each other, it just becomes an absolute mis-mash of noise. So please, one at a time.”
The intervention temporarily shifted attention away from the issue itself and onto the chaotic nature of the exchange.
Viewers React to Heated Exchange
The debate quickly attracted responses online, with several viewers weighing in on both immigration and the way the argument had unfolded.
One commenter argued that the issue should not be reduced to another studio shouting match and said the focus should instead be on stopping illegal arrivals and addressing public concerns.
Another claimed that “pundits arguing pointlessly” would do little to change the situation.
A third viewer suggested that public discussion had intensified because more people had become aware of the scale of immigration since around 2014 and 2015.
Those comments represented individual reactions and did not establish broader public opinion.
Debate Exposes Wider Divide
The exchange highlighted the increasingly polarised nature of immigration debates on British television.
Daly’s argument focused on whether media coverage may amplify public concern even when overall migration levels fall.
Goodwin’s position was that concern is rooted primarily in long-standing public attitudes and real-world changes rather than newspaper reporting.
Both sides attempted to frame the issue through different evidence, but the discussion became so heated that Dewberry was forced to repeatedly step in.
For the presenter, the problem ultimately became less about which argument was stronger and more about making sure viewers could hear either one at all.
What began as a discussion about migration statistics and media influence quickly turned into a live-TV confrontation, with Dewberry firmly reminding both guests who was in charge of the debate.
