Good Morning Britain viewers were left enraged this morning as they tuned in to see a fiery wealth-tax debate hit boiling point as Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, hit back at presenter, Ed Balls. Balls claimed that “economists” opposed the Green Party’s plans to continuously tax wealthy individuals and stated: “You can do a big wealth tax if it’s a surprise and you do it once. But if you try and do it every year, then what happens is people change their behaviour, they move the assets, and you don’t raise any money.”
Showing his disbelief, Balls added: “And you’re saying you can do this every year. Polanski doubled down, as he stressed that it’s “not so easy to move an asset” when the ultra-rich claim they’d simply shift money abroad. “Look at the Duke of Westminster,” Polanski said. “He owns half of Mayfair. You can’t just pick up Mayfair and move with it.”
Polanski argued that the experts Balls referenced aren’t the neutral voices they’re made out to be, saying many are funded by or aligned with “the same multimillionaires and billionaires” whose wealth a tax would target.
And on social media, many were quick to agree with him as one typed: “Ex Labour minister Ed Balls, who happens to be married to the Foreign Secretary, invokes ‘economists’ to attack the Green Party’s proposal for a wealth tax. Well done to @ZackPolanski for pointing out economists aren’t impartial arbiters of truth but are often protecting power and wealth.”
Another replied: “Plus, he does a podcast with George Osborne, who gave the country horrible austerity; Zack is really exposing all of them.”
A third commented: “Thank you very much. That’s like saying because Rachel studied PPE, she’s in this game for the people. 95% of economists in public office work for their governments and help with policy making that firstly protect government interests, not the voting population.”
Back in 2024, Balls continued to face mass criticism since his tenure on the daytime show, as he is married to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, whom he had even interviewed on air.
In response to accusations that the interview represented a conflict of interest, an ITV spokesman told the BBC it considered its interviews “fair and duly impartial”.
“Following a weekend of rioting and national unrest, GMB featured a range of interviews and discussions around this national emergency on today’s programme,” the broadcaster told BBC News.
“[These] included James Cleverly, Shadow Home Secretary and Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary. We are satisfied that these interviews were balanced, fair and duly impartial.”
