ITV GMB viewer fury over ‘shambolic’ Ed Balls grilling of Robert Jenrick over ‘weird’ Turkish barber remark: ‘Awful watch!’
Good Morning Britain host Ed Balls has been slammed by ITV viewers for the “shambolic” interview this morning with Robert Jenrick over his “weird” Turkish barber remark.
Their debate comes after hundreds of barber shops have been targeted in a three-week money laundering blitz by the police and the National Crime Agency.
Police have been into 265 premises, which included vape shops, nail bars, American-themed sweet shops and car washes across England in a crackdown on high street crime, before 35 arrests were made and 97 people were suspected to be victims of modern slavery.
More than £40,000 in cash, some 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, and more than 8,000 illegal vapes were also seized during Operation Machinize, which involved 19 different police forces and regional organised crime units.
Rachael Herbert, deputy director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA, said: “Operation Machinize targeted barber shops and other high street businesses being used as cover for a whole range of criminality, all across the country.
“We have seen links to drug trafficking and distribution, organised immigration crime, modern slavery and human trafficking, firearms, and the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes. We know cash-intensive businesses are used as fronts for money laundering, facilitating some of the highest harm and highest impact offending in the UK.”
Helping tackle the take down, Jenrick made a video where he addressed people who dodged fares when riding tubes, which soon quickly turned into him making a comment about “weird Turkish barber shops”.
He joined Balls and Susanna Reid this morning to discuss the crackdown, but Balls seemed more focused on the comment from Jenrick than the actual crimes that were happening.
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Balls asked: “In the video clip, you said it was the same as bike theft, phone theft, tool theft, shoplifting, drugs in town centres, weird Turkish barber shops, is all chipping away at society. Now, presumably, if you saw bike theft or phone theft, you might intervene, any particular weird Turkish barber shops you’ve gone round with your video camera yet?”
“I haven’t done that, but the national crime agent has,” Jenrick replied before Balls jumped back in and added: “Is there a particular barber shop that you think there is an issue in?”
“Look, we are obviously not talking about all Turkish-style barber shops…” Jenrick tried to explain, however, Balls again noted: “Just weird ones.”
Ignoring the comment, Jenrick explained: “The national crime agency has themselves investigated this issue and said that they have come across some Turkish-style barber shops where there is a link to money laundering, to serious organised crime and illegal migration, and I think people see this in their day-to-day life.”
“A bit like American candy shops,” Balls suggested, leaving Jenrick to reply: “Well I have also talked about that and that is something that I am also looking into, but I mean there was a village that was reported the other day in Wales with 6,000 inhabitants and it is now getting it’s 14th barber shop.
“Now, there is obviously not a demand for 14 barber shops in a small town in Wales, so something is going on in some of those shops.”
Balls went on: “I think if you were a bike thief or a phone thief you wouldn’t be offended by your video but if you ran a Turkish barber shop and you are a Turkish barber and you weren’t corrupt, you might think that being called out by you is a little unfair.”
Jenrick continued: “Well, obviously I am not talking about all barber shops, but I think it is a fair point and the national crime agency and police force are talking about it themselves. No one wants to see these shops setting up on their high streets which are basically a front for crime, do they?
“And when I was a home office minister back in the day, I saw this, it is very important to get the authorities out there and enforce the law and closing down some of those rouge shops, precisely for your point actually, because not only is it bad for the country but it is giving law abiding shop keepers a bad name.”
“But not a forthcoming video, Robert Jenrick hits the weird Turkish barber shops,” Balls expressed before Jenrick confirmed: “Um, I am not doing that, but I am interested in the American candy shops.”
Viewers of the show were left confused by the interaction and on their X accounts, where one penned: “What a childish line of questioning. @edballs looks like a complete muppet with his smug grin, as if he asked the question of the century.”
Someone else added: “To a British journalist, ‘holding politicians to account’ means gotcha-journalism with zero interest in actually exploring the political problems in society. Hence, Good Morning Britain spent the entire interview trying to embarrass Jenrick and failed to get to grips with the London crime wave he was there to discuss. Shambolic.”
Another noted: “When they ask questions like this, they just show you what a complete and utter… they are. That should be the end of his career in TV. If you can’t ask a sensible question GTFO of the way and let a decent person ask one.”
One viewer praised Jenrick and said: “Completely unprofessional Suzanna Reid – need to go back to journalism school and then Ed Balls jumping on her bandwagon – awful watch – well done Robert Jenrick.”
However, not everyone was left unhappy with the interview, as one viewer wrote: “I actually feel sorry for the Conservative Party after watching that car crash of an interview by Jenrick. I thought Badenoch was out of her depth, by he has just shown himself up.” (sic)