Good Morning Britain‘s Jonathan Swain was called out over his poor hygiene earlier today after he picked up a loaf of bread with his bare hands and then returned it to the shelf for another punter to buy. Fans of the ITV show took to Twitter to share their outrage after they were distracted by the mistake during a programme segment about the inflation rate.
They quickly pointed out that although cash-strapped buyers being throttled by the cost of living crisis might be having a change of heart and putting their food items back, the presenter could have been setting a bad example by doing so on live TV. The 51-year-old was reporting from Cavan bakery in Sunbury-on-Thames, where he briefly brandished a freshly baked bread creation before discarding it.
One Twitter (X) viewer griped: “He’s handled that bread and given it back.” “Best buy that loaf now, sunshine!” another warned.
A third viewer exclaimed: “Is it strictly necessary for Jonathan Swain to visit a bakery? We know what bread looks like.” However, there was good news about the inflation rate, as – according to the ONS (Office of National Statistics) – it was revealed that it fell to 3.2 per cent in March, the lowest since September 2021.
That said, interest rates remain high – and the fall in inflation was slightly less pronounced than many expected, with some economists having predicted it would plummet to 3.1 per cent. The Bank of England’s target remains at two per cent, so there is still some way to go.
Meanwhile, senior news correspondent Jonathan also landed himself in hot water during a food segment back in 2022.
On that occasion, he kept his hands over the bread, but offended some viewers by referring to food banks as “trendy”.
Standing outside a soup kitchen, he revealed that staff had been seeing double the number of visitors due to an increase of people needing help with basic essentials.
“[The staff] have been doing this for many years now, since 1988, long before food banks became a trendy thing,” he narrated.
“There are now 2,572 food banks in the country, more food banks than there are McDonald’s outlets.”
However, his choice of words quickly came under fire, with one X user exclaiming in disbelief: “Hopefully just a poor choice of words #GMB reporter describes food banks as ‘trendy.’”
In another embarrassing moment on the show a few years earlier, he got a public telling off from an infuriated member of the public for throwing litter.
However, it turned out the faux pas had been intentional, as part of a social experiment to test public reactions to littering.
The passerby angrily called him out and demanded that he pick up the crisp packet he’d hurled down, before gasping: “Fancy throwing that down in a straight line like this – at your age!”
