ITV GMB fury as Balls and Garraway 'defend' Angela Rayner in 'car crash' stamp duty scandal row: 'Most biased interview ever seen!'

It is claimed she saved £40,000 in stamp duty on the property because she removed her name from the deeds of a family home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency, classifying the Hove flat as her only property despite still spending time at the family house.

Following the revelation, several Conservatives have called for Ms Rayner's resignation, while the likes of Rachel Reeves have spoken out to publicly back the Deputy PM.

Even Andrew Pierce and Miriam Cates found themselves at loggerheads about Ms Rayner's future during a heated debate on Thursday's Britain's Newsroom on the People's Channel.

However, after ITV presenters Mr Balls and Ms Garraway spoke to Conservative Party Chairman, Kevin Hollinrake, about his party's verdict on the saga, it's safe to say the only dispute was between the GMB hosts and their viewers at home.

"I think she should resign," Mr Hollinrake began when discussing Ms Rayner's future during Thursday's GMB. "I don't think her position is tenable. She's the Deputy Prime Minister, so representative of the government as a whole.

"She's the Housing Secretary, and clearly this is a matter related to housing. And the information is readily available. If you look on the HMRC website, it clearly sets out on the first page the trust count in terms of a primary home, and I think it's got to be taken into account that Angela Rayner and Keir Starmer have been so outspoken in terms of tax avoidance carried out by others.

"The reality is, this goes beyond tax avoidance... This is not lawful. That's the point. I don't see how she can just categorise this as an error and simply stay in post.

"I think sooner or later, given her position, and given the fact that lots of other people up and down the country are struggling to pay their taxes right now - increased taxes by this government, potentially more taxes coming down the track - I just don't see how she can hang on."

Ms Garraway then weighed in on the discussion to quiz Mr Hollinrake's assertions. "You've made a lot of accusations there, but we are waiting for that independent inquiry, aren't we?" she pointed out.

"And Nadhim Zahawi in your party eventually resigned, but in fact, actually, was found to have underpaid his tax by some £5 million, and your party at the time said, 'We must wait to find out the facts'. Why are you holding Angel Rayner to a different standard?"

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Mr Hollinrake replied: "Because she's held herself to a different standard. She's taken a moral position on that particular issue, and the reality is, as we all know, if this had been a Conservative member of Parliament today, Angela Rayner would be calling for their resignation. She's taken that position-"

The Conservative MP soon found himself interrupted by Ms Garraway: "Hold on, you're now calling for her resignation and saying that she's unlawful. So, you're setting yourself up," she interjected.

"Does that mean that anybody in opposition who accuses anything of a government has to resign even if it turns out it's been proved that she made a mistake, which she's admitted and paying the money, so you're now saying that she should go automatically?"

Mr Hollinrake tried to clarify his position: "Well, I think there are two things. The letter of the law, which she's broken, and the spirit of the law, which she's broken in the fact that she's taken a moral position in the past, the tax avoidance is wrong, and the people who are guilty of that should resign summarily, without-"

But he was soon cut off once more by Ms Garraway, who butted in: "But we haven't yet had it proven that she was avoiding tax. She could have had duff advice. That's what she says, and you're somehow jumping the gun and saying she should go anyway."

Mr Hollinrake stood firm: "No, it's quite clear. I mean, she's already admitted that she's underpaid her tax. And that's beyond avoidance. It's not avoidance.

"Avoidance is the lawful means of reducing your tax. This was not within the rules, that's the point. You don't have to wait for an investigation or an inquiry to say whether she's broken the rules or not. She said she's broken the rules.

"Having taken a moral position in the past and said that it is wrong and that people in that situation should resign summarily, which she has done... I think if she had said in the past about similar situations with different parties (or) individuals in different parties, 'We should wait for the independent advisor to report on these things, and innocent to proven guilty', perhaps that would be different, but that's not the position she's taken before.

"She's taken the position that if you're guilty of this stuff, which clearly she admits she is, you should resign."

Mr Balls soon weighed into the discussion to lay out further arguments as to why Ms Rayner shouldn't be removed or step down from her post as Deputy PM.

However, the manner in which the pair argued in favour of Ms Rayner's position led several at home to express their dismay, with some branding the debate with Mr Hollinrake as "biased".

"That was by far the worst and most biased interview I have seen by Balls and Garraway," one X user fumed in response to the interview. "Her gross hypocrisy is unbelievable, yet they just tried their best to detract from this by calling @kevinhollinrake a hypocrite."

A second questioned: "Why oh why is Ed Balls a TV presenter? He is absolutely not suited to this role. It's painful to watch him with a smirk on his face. Embarrassing interviewing at every level."

"Kate Garraway, obviously showing your colours here. DPM has openly said she’s not paid the correct amount and has f****d up," a third pointed out before a fourth took aim at Mr Balls: "Ed Balls falls flat on his face again, bringing up the past, with no relevance to the case. When he comes on TV about the current situation, he should leave his Labour hat at home. So should Kate."

A fifth concurred: "Garraway and Ed Balls are ridiculously biased and quite happy with Rayner's hypocrisy."

And a sixth weighed in: "Stop the hypocrisy @edballs, @kategarraway, she needs to resign! She is no different to any other British citizen, the rules apply equally & she is the HOUSING MINISTER! Sick of politicians & their media friends." (sic)

Angela Rayner admits wrongdoing over tax affairs - WATCH HERE

However, others argued it was Mr Hollinrake who came away from the debate in a worse light. "That interview with KH was a car crash. He sounded like a petulant child. Do they not get media trained these days?" one X user argued.

And a second GMB viewer leapt to Rayner's defence: "Haters have been trying to get rid of her from the start, any excuse or mini scandal. They wouldn’t apply the same standards to their own. I hope she hangs in there. It sounds like she was given poor advice and is no more an error than anyone else would make."

Elsewhere during the show, Mr Balls and Ms Garraway did grill Labour's Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson about the scandal, with both providing rather stern arguments against the Deputy Prime Minister's actions.

Ms Phillipson defended her colleague: "Look, I think as Angela has said, some of her family arrangements are complicated, and, you know, she has family needs that can be quite challenging for her, given as she's spoken quite openly about the needs of her son."

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner faces mounting pressure to resign this morning after underpaying £40,000 in stamp duty on her flat in Hove.

Among the critics is the Conservative Party Chairman, @kevinhollinrake, who reported the issue to HM Revenue and Customs. pic.twitter.com/2jdT19Bm8U

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 4, 2025

Referring to a previous interview earlier this week in which she dismissed any whiff of a saga, Ms Phillipson conceded: "So I, presented the position as I best understood it, but rather than thinking about any of that, I can tell your viewers at what I've been focussed on is how we deliver great life chances for children, more childcare for parents, and that's why I'm speaking to you today from one of the nurseries that's open actually just this week."

Mr Balls took aim at Ms Rayner, however: "The reason why we are thinking that you should be upset is when you made those comments on Sunday, Angela Rayner had already gone to seek new advice because she was worried there may be a problem.

"And what you said was unequivocal at a time when clearly Angela Rayner was equivocal, and that just feels like a misjudgement, in the same way as not having got the advice in the first place from a senior counsel. I mean, to be honest, Bridget, she hung you out to dry."

Ms Phillipson hit back: "She set out her position as she understood it. She obviously took advice at the point at which she purchased the property; that's what everyone has to do when you buy a property, but for the avoidance of doubt, she took further expert advice that concluded there was more stamp duty to pay.

"I think that's the right thing to do. I think for the avoidance a doubt, if you've got any concerns, she wanted to make sure that she was fully compliant with all of the rules.

"She got that advice, and she's in the process of setting it straight with the relevant authorities."