Good Morning Britain descended into disarray on Friday morning when correspondent Jonathan Swain was escorted off the scene by police in Spain. The ITV personality was broadcasting live from Valencia, updating viewers on the catastrophic floods that have claimed the lives of 158 individuals.
Hosts Kate Garraway and Adil Ray announced that the death toll is anticipated to increase as the search for missing persons continues.
Despite the deployment of soldiers to assist with rescue efforts in the affected regions, the hosts emphasised that many locals have criticised the government’s slow response. Switching to Jonathan live at the scene, he navigated the streets while discussing the city’s devastation, reports the Mirror.
As the ITV programme aired a pre-recorded segment featuring interviews with residents about the current situation, it appeared that drama was unfolding behind the scenes.
Going back to Kate in the studio, she said:” We were hoping to return to speak to Jonathan some more live from the scene. As you saw there, he was telling us how people there are really concerned and making accusations of slowness of response. When, in fact, we can’t speak to him live because he’s been moved on by the police there. Let’s see how that unfolded.”
Footage was then shown of Jonathan interacting with the police from a rooftop in Spain. When the authorities addressed the ITV star, they informed him he was on private property, leading them to ask him to leave.
Heading towards the staircase, it was evident that Jonathan was far from pleased as he sighed while reaching for his phone.
He informed them: “I think you need to be searching for people, not journalists ok? I think we’re the least of your problems. We’re not the problem.”
Back in the studio with Kate and Adil, Adil remarked: “Jonathan sums it up perfectly there. If you are the police and you are in that area, you’re probably searching for the wrong people right now.”
Kate underscored the duty of Spanish authorities to ensure everyone’s safety.
She continued: “But, we had heard from Jonathan how concerned people are of the slowness of the response. How they were welcoming speaking to Jonathan as a way of a chance of getting the message out there that they needed help, so we’ll keep across that for you this morning.”
Viewers quickly took to Twitter to express their opinions on the unfolding events, with several commending the ITV personality for his words to the officials.
One viewer expressed: “Difficult to see @SwainITV being moved by police in Spain, whilst he’s reporting on the Spanish floods in Valencia. I agree with him totally. They should be focusing on the effort to help the public, not moving on journalists who are trying to highlight the problems.”
Another tweeted: “Well said Jonathan.”
A different user added: “Journalists are vital in crises, bringing us the truth. Let them do their job.”
Good Morning Britain continues weekdays on ITV from 6am.