Mobile operators should face scrutiny from cartel watchdogs over High Court claims of attempted price fixing and collusion, according to the leader of a cross-party group of MPs. Grant Shapps, the Conservative chairman of the cross-party British Infrastructure Group, called on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to consider opening a formal investigation of the mobile industry. The regulator is being urged to intervene after The Daily Telegraph on Friday revealed claims by the BT Group (BT.A)-owned operator EE that the former chiefs of rivals O2 and Vodafone Group (VOD) UK made “inappropriate” attempts to discuss sales plans and pricing. Mr Shapps said: “These fresh revelations of potential collusion between some major operators will worry consumers and the British Infrastructure Group of MPs is anxious to see the sector come clean. “They can start by ensuring that full competition always benefits consumers, as well as stopping dodgy practices like continuing to charge full whack after a contract has ended.”
Johnson Matthey chief: ‘Diesel will be around for a long, long time’. The drive towards clean, electric vehicles ought to be a worry for Johnson Matthey (JMAT). The manufacturer generates nearly two thirds of its £4.2bn turnover by supplying car makers with catalytic converters, which clean exhaust emissions. About one in three new cars worldwide has a Johnson Matthey autocatalyst on it. Robert MacLeod, the chief executive, insists he isn’t concerned by what many see as the inevitable demise of internal combustion engines. “Will diesel ever die? It depends on your definition of diesel dying,” he says, speaking in the boardroom of the company’s base in the City of London’s Farringdon Street. “I think diesel will be around for a long, long time.” He rehearses well-worn arguments in diesel’s defence. “Diesel’s fuel economy benefits are enormous. If you drive hundreds of miles on motorways every day, diesel’s well suited to that. The emissions are lower with that sort of driving.”