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Richard Madeley has offered an apology following a surge of complaints this week on Good Morning Britain, leading ITV viewers to clamour for his removal from the program.
Viewers criticized the TV presenter following a discussion on the show with an MP on Tuesday morning (October 17). Richard and his co-host Susanna Reid were joined on the ITV breakfast program by Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West & Abingdon, as she shared her concerns about her relatives being stuck in Gaza.
However, one question Richard posed left her astonished, as he inquired whether she had advance knowledge of the events in Gaza. This moment drew strong reactions from viewers, who expressed their dismay on social media and called for his departure from the show.
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Now, the television host has issued an apology, as confirmed by a GMB spokesperson. The spokesperson informed The Sun that Richard was "apologetic," and the publication noted that Layla Moran "appreciated the interview and expressed her willingness to return to GMB."
The apology comes after his comments to the MP on Tuesday. He said: "With your family connections in Gaza, did you have any indication of what was going to happen ten days ago, two weeks ago? Was there there any word on the street?", he asked, leaving Ms Moran stunned.
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"Not this, not this," she replied, clearly shocked by his questioning, before adding: "Everyone, everyone has been surprised first of all by the timing and sophistication and they way that it's happened. What I will say is that I've been warning, and others have in Parliament as well for a number of years now, that if we don't find a way…"
She added: "People say 'go back to the negotiating table'. The fact of the matter is there has not been a table, let alone to go back to a negotiating table for at least ten years. This is a cycle of violence. My worry now is that this is radicalising another generation on all sides. We have to stop this hatred. We have to bring people together and find a way through. Peace is harder than war. It's harder."
Issuing an apology following widespread outrage, a Good Morning Britain spokesperson said: “Richard is sorry that he has upset viewers with his question to Layla Moran.”
They added: “His intention was to understand the mood and atmosphere amongst the civilian population of Gaza immediately before the attacks … He did not mean to imply that she or her family might have had any prior knowledge of the attacks.”
Condemnation for Mr Madeley was swift – with some demanding the host to be removed from GMB hosting duties. Liz Jarvis, the Lib Dem candidate for Eastleigh, said Ms Moran had “handled this situation with remarkable composure and dignity but Richard Madeley should apologise or be taken off air”.
Political commentator Jonathan Lis, deputy director of the British Influence think tank, called Mr Madeley “Newsnight Alan Partridge” and also accused him of racism.
He said the host had casually asked a British MP with Palestinian heritage “whether her ‘family connections’ gave her advance warning of Hamas’s massacre. Call this what it is: racism. He should unreservedly apologise or be taken off air.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 at 6am
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- Good Morning Britain
- ITV
- Richard Madeley
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