07 March 2024 , 11:04
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Fans of ITV's Good Morning Britain were left worried when they noticed that Kate Garraway was not on the show.
Usually, Kate presents the programme on Thursdays but she was missing and Ranvir Singh stepped in to host with Richard Madeley. Richard took over from Ben Shephard on Thursday, joining Ranvir on the ITV show from 6am. One fan tweeted: "Missing @kategarraway on @ gmb Hope ur feeling better soon xx ."
Another viewer wasn't happy, saying: "C*** presenters, c*** pundits, no real news. C*** program." A third viewer decided to turn off their TV. Another questioned: "Is this really news ffs."
On today's show, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt didn't rule out another budget before the next general election as he was grilled by hosts Ranvir and Richard. Ranvir asked Mr Hunt how he plans to help public services like social care and local government, after the national insurance cut.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Mr Hunt "floating the idea" of getting rid of national insurance altogether was "irresponsible". Mr Hunt has given his final Budget before the next General Election and the Shadow Chancellor claimed there were no surprises, no "rabbits out of a hat".
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Ranvir hosted with Richard on Thursday (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)National Insurance was cut by another 2p and the child benefit threshold goes up from £50,000 to £60,000. This means that the average worker earning £35,000 will save about £450 a year. Appearing in the studio on Thursday, Labour MP Jess Phillips remarked: "No one on a doorstop, in the history of knocking on doors, has ever said 'do you know what I'd really like a 2p tax cut."
Meanwhile, Kate's absence comes as her good friend Ben Shephard leaves the show for This Morning, which he will host with Cat Deeley. Kate broke her social media silence since the death of her husband Derek Draper by congratulating her pal Ben on his new gig.
On Instagram, she wrote: "Massive congrats to @benshephardofficial on the @itv @thismorning gig. You’ll be SOOOOO missed by EVERYONE @gmb viewers and the team alike & ofcourse especially me. BUT after 24 years hard labour by my side no one will begrudge you time off for good behaviour!!! Good luck swapping early starts for (abit) of a lie in and a Kate for a Cat! @catdeeley can’t wait to see you - you’ll have a ball."
After Ben and Cat were announced as the new hosts, the GMB stalwart revealed leaving his co-host Kate was the "hardest decision" he had to make. He said: "One of the hardest decisions of course is knowing that my mornings with Kate, my on-screen wife of nearly 20 years, is coming to an end. Her journey has been well documented, and I think we would all agree how remarkable she has been over the last four years. I won’t miss the mess but I’ve learned so much from her, as I have from all of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside.”
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