This 'tough mums' stuff makes me assume that it'll be Susanna and Kate next week. I reckon Kate will have presented more shows than Susanna or Ben soon, (she possibly has already).
Which is actually illegal - people on maternity leave have a right to return to the role they were in before departing or something equivalent to it.
Not if the role no longer exists. I've known people be made redundant whilst on maternity leave. Translating this to GMB it could be said 'there's been a restructure, there are no longer 4 equal hosts, just 2 main with a newsreader role'
Nope. If you go on maternity and return within the first 26 weeks (known as ordinary maternity leave) then you have the legal right to return to the same role with the same terms and conditions. If you take extended maternity leave (26 weeks+) then you don't have this right, but you are entitled to an equivalent role, with equivalent duties and pay.
This is all assuming she's employed by ITV. If she's on contract they can pretty much do what they want.
However, even if she was on the books, is anyone really suggesting she could take them to a tribunal for telling her to sit in the corner and read the news on one autocue instead of sitting on the sofa reading another autocue?
She's still there throughout the show, and she still does more than the Daybreak newsreaders ever did in their respective shows (I know Ranvir did the first hour, but once 7am hit she merely read the news).
The bigger change though is her role as Susanna's understudy - she was clearly first choice replacement before she went on maternity, ut now it seems Won't Goaway has taken that position.
They also have this new (unless I've missed it over the summer) GMB Buzz section where Richard Arnold goes through trending topics again using the screen in what was the interview area.
Hilary also now appears to have a weekly slot, in the interview area with Charlotte. A number of medical topics in the press at the moment were discussed.
