Thursday newspaper round-up: UK car production, Ferrovial, consumer confidence

British car production declined for the eighth month in a row in January as output bound for China plunged by more than 70%. The car industry is struggling with multiple headwinds, including falling demand in China, a regulatory backlash against diesel vehicles in Europe and continued uncertainty over Brexit, which has put the brakes on investment in the UK. – Guardian

More than 1 million public sector workers in Britain are paid less than the amount required to make ends meet, trapping them in in-work poverty, according to a report. The Living Wage Foundation said as many as 1.2 million people working for the NHS, councils and other public sector employers receive unsustainably low wages of less than £9 an hour, or £10.55 in London. – Guardian

British businesses will not be blocked from bidding for most foreign government contracts under a "no deal" Brexit. The World Trade Organization has agreed the UK can join its Government Procurement Agreement as a non-EU member, protecting access to a market worth as much as £1.3 trillion. – Telegraph

The Spanish giant that owns UK government contractor Amey has been forced to slash the value of the business by almost 90pc in the latest blow to the outsourcing sector. Ferrovial said the book value of Amey, whose 20,000 employees maintain train tracks, escort prisoners and house armed forces personnel, was now just €103m (£88m) after a €774m write-off. – Telegraph

Consumer confidence is holding firm, despite growing uncertainty about the terms on which Britain will leave the European Union, according to a survey. GFK’s consumer confidence index, followed by the Bank of England and other policymakers, came in at -13 in February. This was an improvement from -14 in January, but lower than after the EU referendum in 2016. It has been lower only twice in the past five and a half years, in December and January. – The Times

Brussels is putting financial stability at risk by using Brexit to poach business from the City, Andrew Bailey, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, has claimed. Britain’s banking regulator told the House of Lords that there were “tensions” in Europe between protecting the financial system from a disorderly no-deal Brexit and a desire to “see a transfer of activity” from London. – The Times