17 October 2023 , 14:45
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Richard Madeley has apologised after sparking a flurry of complaints this week on Good Morning Britain, resulting in ITV viewers calling for him to be dropped from the show.
Viewers called out the TV presenter after a discussion on the show with an MP on Tuesday morning. Richard and his co-star Susanna Reid were joined on the ITV breakfast show by Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West & Abingdon, as she discussed her relatives being stuck in Gaza.
However, one question Richard asked her left her open-mouthed, as he asked whether she knew of what was going to happen in Gaza before it did. The moment left viewers appalled and taking to social media to call him out, with many calling for me to leave the show.
Now, the TV host has apologised, according to a GMB spokesperson. They told The Mirror Richard was "sorry", while it's believed the show's guest has been contacted.
Richard Madeley is 'sorry' for an 'insensitive' question he asked a guest on Good Morning Britain this week (ITV)The statement read: "Richard is sorry that he has upset viewers with his question to Layla Moran. His intention was to understand the mood and atmosphere amongst the civilian population of Gaza immediately before the attacks.
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"He asked Layla about her family in Gaza City because she had discussed speaking to them earlier in the interview. He did not mean to imply that she or her family might have had any prior knowledge of the attacks."
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. "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."
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