Good Morning Britain viewers have found themselves getting a bit irked by an 'unprofessional' habit by host Ben Shephard. The presenter was back at the helm of the ITV news programme on Friday morning (July 22) alongside Charlotte Hawkins. Charlotte is currently standing in for Kate Garraway.
Viewers are used to seeing the 55-year-old hosting the programme every Thursday and Friday alongside Ben but she has had to pull out of the programme as her husband Derek Draper is back in hospital. ITV confirmed her absence and her co-stars have been sending her their support.
However, the show went on as usual and as ever Charlotte and Ben were bringing viewers the latest news headlines, entertainment news and interviews.
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One of the continuing hot topics of conversation is the Tory leadership race. And the the final two vying to be the next Prime Minister have come to blows over their proposals, with Rishi Sunak warning against a "huge borrowing spree" as Liz Truss defended tax-cutting plans worth at least £30 billion a year.
Mr Sunak was the parliamentary party’s favourite, winning 137 votes to Ms Truss’s 113 among Tory MPs. But bookmakers placed the Foreign Secretary as the frontrunner, with early indications suggesting she is more popular with Tory members ahead of a summer of campaigning.
A small, unrepresentative poll of 730 members on Wednesday and Thursday again saw Ms Truss in the lead. Some 49% of respondents said they would back the Foreign Secretary while 31% chose Mr Sunak.
The rest were undecided or said they would not vote. The pair battled to win the support of local politicians on Thursday (July 21) when they took part in a private hustings for the Conservative Councillors’ Association. They will tour the UK to take part in 12 hustings for the Tory members who will vote for their next leader, with the result being announced on September 5.
But as Ben and Charlotte discussed the latest in the leadership race on GMB, viewers were taking to social media to share their annoyance at Ben calling Mr Sunak and Ms Truss by their first names.
@tighabhinn tweeted: "We all knew it ... bound to happen! BEN SHEPHARD refers to Tory candidates on first names as 'RISHI' and 'LIZ' #GMB." @RebbyHogg said: "On GMB, Ben Shepherd calling the 2 tory PM candidates Rishi and Liz.. Stop it please. Had enough of hearing the other clown called by his preferred moniker."
@BoyCharioteer commented: "#GMB Is there any chance of “Ben“ not constantly referring to politicians by their first names? It isn’t professional and they aren’t your mates." While some agreed, another, @ricebilly, said: "I prefer that, rather than referring to only one by his first name..."
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