MG ROVER has failed to stem a tide of uncertainty over its future, despite a forceful denial of claims its owners are ready to sell the ailing manufacturer. Last week, two non-executive directors, Brian Parker and Terry Whitmore, stepped down from Techtronics, the company that acts as a supervisory board for the Midlands car maker, but MG Rover denied this showed signs of a rift.

Weekend reports claimed that MG Rover could be sold to a foreign buyer, despite group chairman John Towers attacking ideas of a sale as 'utter nonsense'.