Good Morning Britian viewers have accused the show of hypocrisy as the presenters scoffed at the idea of a four-day work week on Wednesday – despite only hosting a handful of mornings themselves.

Hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls welcomed The Apprentice star Tre Lowe to the studio, alongside former Conservative advisor Charlie Rowley, as they debated for and against the divisive topic.

The discussion comes after Labour MPs called for a four-day working week to be part of an overhaul of workers’ rights.

A dozen Labour MPs and a Green MP want the Government to set up a body to look at bringing in a four-day working week for employees across Britain on Wednesday.

However, the GMB presenters seemed to make their opinions clear, with Susanna insisting: ‘You’ve got a day where there’s no work being done!’

But viewers made sure to point out that the hosts don’t work a five-day work week themselves, and sometimes less than four, as they joked about ‘the cheek of it’.

Good Morning Britian viewers have accused the show of hypocrisy as the presenters scoffed at the idea of a four-day work week on Wednesday
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Good Morning Britian viewers have accused the show of hypocrisy as the presenters scoffed at the idea of a four-day work week on Wednesday

Hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls welcomed The Apprentice star Tre Lowe to the studio, alongside former Conservative advisor Charlie Rowley
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Hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls welcomed The Apprentice star Tre Lowe to the studio, alongside former Conservative advisor Charlie Rowley

Taking to X, viewers quipped: ‘#gmb a 3 day work week if your name is Susanna Reid. A 1 day week if your name is #lorraineminimum salary £800k.’

‘The cheek of this lot laughining at the idea of a 4 day week. The irony! #GMB.’

‘#gmb presenters debating about a four day week.’

‘That would mean an extra day for Susanna.’

‘“Does this mean Britain’s workforce is lazy?” says woman who works a four day week and gets all school holidays off. @GMB.’

‘Reid doesn’t work a full week for £1.1m salary. She would have to be for a 4 day week, no? #GMB.’

‘That’ll be good news for Susanna and Lorraine as they only work four days or less already!’

The backbenchers are supporting the amendment to the Employment Rights Bill which, if successful, would create a panel of experts to consider proposals of the four-day week.

The panel would then provide advice on ‘how a transition could be made from a five-day working week to a four-day working week with no impact on pay’.

The discussion comes after Labour MPs called for a four-day working week to be part of an overhaul of workers' rights
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The discussion comes after Labour MPs called for a four-day working week to be part of an overhaul of workers’ rights

But viewers made sure to point out that the hosts don't work a five-day work week themselves, and sometimes less than four, as they joked about 'the cheek of it'

But viewers made sure to point out that the hosts don’t work a five-day work week themselves, and sometimes less than four, as they joked about ‘the cheek of it’

The Employment Rights Bill is currently going through the Commons and is being spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

It includes a swathe of new protections for workers, such as a ban on zero hours contracts, an end to ‘fire and rehire’ tactics, and greater rights to sick pay and flexible working.

But the Tories have warned the ‘French-style’ laws will be bad for the economy and put jobs at risk by burdening firms with more regulations.

Downing Street on Tuesday signalled it would reject the amendment on a four-day working week tabled by the group of MPs.

A No10 spokesman said: ‘Our plans on the Employment Rights Bill are set out in public and there is no deviation from that.

‘In general terms, it’s not Government policy to support a general move to a four-day working week for five days working pay.’

Supporters of new working patterns say people are happier and less likely to suffer from burnout when they work fewer days.

Peter Dowd, the Labour MP who put forward the amendment, said that with technology like AI enabling people to work more efficiently, the benefits ‘must be passed back to workers’.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is facing the prospect of a House of Commons revolt after Labour MPs called for a four-day working week to be part of an overhaul of workers' rights
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It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is facing the prospect of a House of Commons revolt after Labour MPs called for a four-day working week to be part of an overhaul of workers’ rights

A dozen Labour MPs and a Green MP want the Government to set up a body to look at bringing in a four-day working week for employees across Britain
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A dozen Labour MPs and a Green MP want the Government to set up a body to look at bringing in a four-day working week for employees across Britain

‘A four-day, 32-hour working week is the future of work and I urge my party to back this amendment so we can begin a much wider transition,’ he added.

Maya Ellis, Labour MP for Ribble Valley, said: ‘Data shows that working four days leads to greater productivity than five.

‘That means in public organisations for example, that we can get through a higher volume of tasks, creating the increase in capacity we so desperately need to see in our public services.’

But the amendment has been tabled at a time when many firms are forcing their employees to return to their offices full-time.

US investment bank JP Morgan and tech giant Amazon have demanded staff come back to the office every day despite having allowed hybrid working patterns for the last five years since the Covid pandemic.

And former Asda and Marks & Spencer chief executive Lord Stuart Rose claimed last month that remote working does not amount to ‘proper work’.

The 4 Day Week Foundation’s campaign, by contrast, aims to promote people’s wellbeing over hours spent at work.

Joe Ryle, campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, said: ‘Compressing the same amount of hours into four days rather than five is not the same thing as a true four-day working week.

‘What is missing from the Bill is a commitment to explore a genuinely shorter working week which we know workers desperately want.

‘As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers.’

But Elliot Keck, of TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers are sick of paying through the nose for an increasingly part-time public sector. Rather than standing on the side of workers, many in Labour are on the side of shirkers who are fleecing the public.’