MP Zarah Sultana had a furious clash with Good Morning Britain’s co-hosts earlier today after she said the violent riots should be described as Islamophobic.
Far-right agitators have caused unrest in several parts of the country in recent days over migration levels and last Monday’s fatal Southport stabbing.
Sultana said the riots should be described as Islamophobic as multiple mosques have been targeted – but received some pushback from Ed Balls.
“Why is that language important to you?” GMB host Kate Garroway asked, while Balls said multiple politicians have described it as “racist”.
“These are not trivial matters,” Sultana began – but Garroway cut in and said: “Sorry, we do have to ask you questions as well.”
“Absolutely –” Sultana started, but Balls said: “And if you want to, you can answer them, it’s your call.”
Sultana said: “I’m just going to wait for Kate to finish her question, if that’s OK.”
“If you want to answer the questions you can, but you don’t have to,” Balls replied.
Galloway cut in: “Why is it important to you to use that specific word, Islamophobic? It’s been called racist, it’s been called thuggery.
“I think it’s important because we are speaking to the home secretary and other politicians this morning – why does that matter to you to use?”
Sultana pointed out that bricks were deliberately thrown at a mosque in Southport, while people inside the building “feared for their lives”.
When Balls cut in to say that PM Keir Starmer has condemned that, Sultana said: “I’m just finishing the question.”
Sultana, who was elected as a Labour MP but was recently suspended for rebelling against the government over a parliamentary bill, then took aim at Balls’ past – a cabinet secretary under New Labour’s Gordon Brown.
The independent MP pointed to New Labour’s controls on migration and Balls’ own 2010 article in the Guardian saying the UK has accepted too many “eastern Europeans into Britain”.
She said: “The discussion around that article, you don’t see that as playing a role in what we’re seeing across the country?”
Balls said if you fail to control immigration, “things go wrong”.
But Sultana said there “is a direct correlation” between the language politicians have used in recent years, and the language used by the far-right mobs.
Balls hit back, “you’ve moved from attacking Andrew [Pierce, a Daily Mail columnist] to attacking me,” sparking giggles from the rest of the panel.
Sultana said: “Language matters.”
“What you can’t do is just spray out attacks on all of us and then not have any comeback. You didn’t answer Andrew’s question, you attack me!” Balls said.
Sultana later posted a clip of their exchange on X, writing: “The media and political class is complicit in the far right, racist and Islamophobic violence we’re seeing across our country. This morning, I experienced the visceral denial of this reality.”
Sultana’s point about Islamophobia was later put to the home secretary – Balls’ wife, Yvette Cooper – on the same channel.
She said there had been targeted attacks on mosques, and that “clearly reflects Islamophobia” and “people shouldn’t be targeted for their faith or the colour of their skin”.
Still, Sultana’s exchange with Balls caused major consternation online, with many saying the GMB’s hosts constantly interrupted her and “sneered”.