Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder returned to the Good Morning Britain studio on Friday08:12, 24 Jul 2026The host of Good Morning Britain has responded to an unexpectedly rude on-air moment.‌Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder returned to the ITV studios in central London on Friday (July 24) to deliver the day's biggest headlines from across the UK and around the world.‌Later in the show, the presenters discussed Edinburgh's new tourist tax. The visitor levy, which has now come into effect, will see those staying overnight in hotels, bed and breakfasts and self-catering accommodation charged an additional 5% on top of their original booking cost.‌Kate and Rob spoke to Jane Meagher, the Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, who outlined the positives of the new levy. She spoke about the tax live from a street in the Scottish city.However, Kate was soon forced to set the record straight after a man was seen making the reverse peace sign behind Jane as she spoke to the camera.‌As Jane finished her point, the host said: "Just to say, Jane, you won't be aware because you were talking so elegantly to us with the gorgeous vision of Edinburgh behind."But somebody came past doing a rather rude gesture. So, if you're watching at home and you saw, that is no reflection on Jane or indeed Edinburgh."Revealing why the tax has been introduced, Jane explained: "So, we've introduced this tax because anybody who lives or works in this city will know that over the years, the number of visitors has risen massively.‌"So, in the latest year where we have figures, there were five million visits a night in this city. Now, this is brilliant for everybody, but inevitably it brings extra cost."We can't have that. We can't have local people paying for that. So, what we want to do, as well, is grow and maintain the city as a visitor attraction, and that is where the visitor levy money will go. It will all be invested into Edinburgh."‌However, Allen Simpson, the Chief Executive of UKHospitality, firmly disagreed.Speaking to Rob and Kate in the studio, he said: "Jane will say in a minute, I'm absolutely certain, 'This is normal. You go to Paris, you go to Berlin, you go to Rome, and you pay these taxes.'"But in those places, VAT on a hotel room is only 10%, so actually, with this new tax, it's going to cost twice as much to go to Edinburgh than going to Paris."Article continues belowIt is hoped that the charge, which aims to raise about £50 million annually, could be used to fund improvements to the capital, including new housing, cultural initiatives and a wider police presence.Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am