Asda boss Mohsin Issa to face MPs over fuel prices

Mohsin Issa has been asked to appear in front of the Business and Trade Committee later this month, on July 19, to “discuss its concerns”, according to The Times.

This comes after “apparent discrepancies” between comments made by Asda’s chief commercial officer Kris Comerford and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) study published earlier this week.

Earlier this week, the CMA issued two £30,000 fines to Asda for “sending a representative to attend a compulsory CMA interview who was not equipped to provide evidence on certain topics” and “failing to respond completely to a compulsory written request for information”.

The committee has reportedly argued that Comerford’s responses during an evidence session on fuel and food prices inflation contradicted letters published by both Asda and the GMB union yesterday.

Any evidence provided on July 19 is expected to be public and on the record.

Issa said: “We have engaged fulsomely and openly with the Business and Trade Select Committee on grocery and fuel price inflation. We are disappointed to hear that the committee feels there are discrepancies in our evidence and have provided them with a detailed response to their letter requesting a further interview.

“On fuel, we remain resolute that our strategy is to offer the best value for customers at the pumps – something that the CMA’s fuel market study confirms we continue to be.

“Whilst we cannot answer questions about how the market operates as a whole, I am happy to use time that had been previously agreed for me to meet with [committee chair] Mr [Darren] Jones directly for an open discussion, where I will be happy to reaffirm our strategy and commitments.

“Asda is, and will remain, a consumer champion and a respectful employer of thousands of valued colleagues.”