Demonised diesel

A very early start today and a trip into London for a breakfast briefing at the SMMT, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which is the motor industry's trade body. It was serious stuff, talking about the demonising of diesel, and how sooty emissions from diesel cars are taking the blame for air quality issues.

Older diesel cars and trucks may be smoky polluters, but not newer ones. Modern diesel vehicles have to comply with tough regulations and are fitted with chemical filters that catch the sooty particles and burn them off, rather than letting them exit into the atmosphere via the tailpipe.

Because I was unsure how long it would take to fight the traffic into town, I arrived very early, to find all the TV news crews setting up. So this photo was taken before the hubbub of activity started, when the room was full ready for the press conference to begin.

The chief executives of the SMMT, Ford, BMW, Volkswagen and Jaguar Land Rover took the stage and fielded lots of serious questions about diesel, before one headline-hungry reporter snuck in with a query that has dominated the week's news. Is Jeremy Clarkson going to survive at Top Gear? Cue groans all round. Who knows!