Chief executive Christopher Macgowan lambasted press coverage on the issue as “ghastly” and stressed the society had taken steps to fully meet its legal obligations over this issue. Macgowan said: “We would never embark knowingly on anything that was inappropriate.” He added that the SMMT had notified the Office of Fair Trading – the UK regulator of the EU rules – about the press coverage. “It is up to them to decide what action to take,” he added.