Martin Lewis has addressed the backlash he has received in recent days following his disagreement with Kemi Badenoch live on the set of ITV’s Good Morning Britain
Martin Lewis has addressed the backlash he has received in recent days and admitted his “skin is far too thin” for it. The finance expert, 53, stunned viewers when he stormed onto the set of Good Morning Britain earlier this week to confront Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch about a student loans policy.
The presenters had introduced the conversation with Kemi, with Ed saying: “You want to cut the interest rate on student loans, and you’re going to pay for it by saying to 100,000 people who might be applying for that you call low value rip-off degrees, that they shouldn’t go to university, and the money you save from stopping them to go to university, you will then use to cut interest rates on loans.”
Martin then walked in and told the politician: “If you want to help the middle earning students, the most important thing is the repayment threshold should have been increased.”
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In the aftermath of the incident, the MoneySavingExpert issued a public apology to Kemi, writing on X: “Dear @KemiBadenoch, apologies for gate crashing your @ GMB interview today. Student loans are so life-impacting that I wanted to ensure the key point was made – that financially, if not psychologically, the repayment threshold is a bigger issue than the interest.
“Thank you for being so courteous after the interruption – you handled it far better than I would have the other way round. I have asked my office to request a meeting, if you are available, to discuss this more calmly.” Kemi accepted the apology, noting that she loves a “feisty” debate, but unfortunately for Martin, he has been subject to negative comment across social media.
As the week drew to a close, Martin took to social media to address the past few days and insisted he cannot take this kind of flak on a regular basis. He wrote on Threads: “Delighted to close the door on this week, not my finest one. I can’t understand (and am envious of) how politicians can come with flak so easily, my skin is far too thin. I’ll see you all Monday. Have a good one.”
He then posted the same statement onto X, where fans were quick to support him in their replies. One said: “If it’s any consolation, you’ve gone up in my estimation. You apologised for interrupting an interview (when many wouldn’t) and then engaged with said interviewee to try and tackle an issue you both clearly care about, even if you do disagree over the mechanics of how.”
Another wrote: “Fair play to you Martin, you owned your actions this week,” and a third said: “Martin, you are brilliant and you help countless people – many of whom you don’t even know about but who have benefitted from your expertise, passion and genuine care. Please don’t be sad.”
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It comes after Kemi herself responded to Martin on social media with a lengthy statement. She said: “Hi @MartinSLewis, thank you. I really appreciate that, and honestly, don’t worry. I do love a feisty debate! It helps people understand what the real issues are.
“”You and I agree on the principle: student loans have become a scam. It took me eight years to pay mine off. I made my last payment in 2011, and I remember how happy I was, and my debt was only £14,000.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a young person with £40,000 debt today. Whatever the Coalition government brought in back in 2012, it’s clearly not working for the world of 2026. So I’d genuinely love to come on your show and debate my plan vs yours.”
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