PRESS DIGEST-British Business - February 18

Feb 18 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

-British healthcare property developer Assura AGRP.L has rejected a 1.56 billion pound ($1.97 billion) acquisition bid from KKR KKR.N.

- Two of Britain's biggest banks Barclays BARC.L and NatWest NWG.L are to remove climate targets from their annual bonus schemes for senior executives, reflecting a wider shift in the business world to drop environmental and diversity measures linked to pay.

The Guardian

-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to provide a U.S. "backstop" to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it is the only way to deter Russia from attacking the country again.

- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not ruled out holding a parliamentary vote on committing UK troops to a peacekeeping role in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, after calls from some within Labour and the Lib Dems.

The Telegraph

- The UK Supreme Court on Monday rejected a move by finance minister Rachel Reeves to intervene in a landmark case on car loan mis-selling.

-Castle Water, which was co-founded by Graham Edwards, the Tory treasurer, has issued a winding-up petition against Pret A Manger over allegations of unpaid bills.

Sky News

-Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, will discuss Jingye Group's request for a bailout for the Scunthorpe-based steelmaker with the Chinese group's boss Li Huiming on Tuesday.

-Britain's competition regulator said on Monday that Topps Tiles' TPT.L 9 million pound ($11.34 million) acquisition of CTD Tiles could reduce competition, limiting deals and product choices for customers and businesses in parts of England and Scotland.

($1 = 0.7937 pounds)