By Editor,Grant Tucker Entertainment

Copyright dailymail

Good Morning Britain star Ed Balls has pulled out of speaking at a top television conference, so he can instead accompany his wife to the state banquet with Donald Trump.

The former Labour politician, 58, had been due to speak at the Royal Television Society’s annual convention in Cambridge this afternoon.

But Balls cancelled on organisers so he can attend St George’s Hall, Windsor this evening with his wife Yvette Cooper, who was last week appointed foreign secretary.

The US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania are due to attend the state banquet tonight, which will be led by the King and Queen and other senior members of the royal family.

Balls’s last minute cancellation meant that bosses at the top television festival were forced to scrap Balls’ session, which was due to be a special edition of his podcast Political Currency, alongside former chancellor George Osborne.

It was billed as a chance for television executives to ‘challenge’ the GMB host ‘for answers’.

Jane Turton, the chairwoman of the Royal Television Society, told disappointed delegates on Wednesday: ‘We were looking forward to a spirited edition of Ex-Ministers Questions with Ed Balls and George Osborne.’

‘But duty calls for Ed who is swapping the Royal Television Society stage for another royal appointment, attending tonight’s state banquet in Windsor with his wife, newly appointed foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper.’

Last year, Ed had been at the centre of a wave of complaints from viewers when he interviewed his wife who was then Home Secretary on Good Morning Britain.

Since Susanna Reid, 54, has interviewed the politician while Ed sat out of the conversation.

The former Labour Cabinet minister recently quipped to co-presenter Susanna: ‘As you know she’s my wife, so I’ll sit this one out.’

The awkward moment came after ITV conceded that he would not be allowed to interrogate his spouse again following an outcry in August.

The previous interview was branded ’embarrassing to the extreme’ by viewers concerned about the potential conflict of interest – although bosses insisted that both behaved ‘professionally’ and it was not against rules.

Thousands of people made official complaints to the regulator about the episode of the breakfast show which included Ms Cooper being questioned over the Labour government’s handling of riots.

Mr Balls served as Education Secretary and shadow chancellor before losing his Commons seat in 2015, and pursuing a career on TV.

He asked his wife during the exchange on August 5 whether officers had policed protests by far-right activists and pro-Palestine demonstrators differently.

Ms Cooper, who has three children with him, responded by saying police had to operate ‘without fear or favour, whatever the kinds of crimes it is that they face’.

He also asked her whether there had been a ‘two-tier approach’ to policing, and if police have been ‘softer and more cautious’ when policing the Gaza demonstrations compared with a ‘tougher’ approach over the previous week.

Since Ed’s ban from interviewing his wife, viewers have still found Yvette’s exchanges with Susanna awkward.

One posted on X: ‘It’s still uncomfortable and even unacceptable to interview Yvette Cooper on #GMB when we the viewers know her husband is sitting alongside Susanna. #ITV.