PRESS DIGEST-British Business - March 21

March 21 (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

- Britain's financial regulator fined the London Metal Exchange on Thursday for allowing nickel prices to surge out of control three years ago in the first ever enforcement action against a UK exchange.

- Britain's energy regulator said it would accelerate 4 billion pounds ($5.18 billion) of investment to speed up development of the country's electricity grid and boost the country's chances of meeting clean energy targets.

The Guardian

- The Bank of England said UK businesses are freezing their hiring plans in response to Rachel Reeves's tax increases and mounting global uncertainty as it kept interest rates on hold at 4.5%.

- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Russia's President Vladimir Putin will face "severe consequences" if he breaches a peace deal with Ukraine.

The Telegraph

- UK's Finance Minister Rachel Reeves demanded government departments provide her with real-time public spending updates, as she ramps up a Treasury power grab ahead of next week's Spring Statement.

- Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen has increased his stake in Asos ASOS.L to just over 28%, cementing his position as Asos's largest shareholder and moving closer to the takeover threshold.

Sky News

- Britain's Heathrow Airport will be closed until midnight after experiencing a significant power outage due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation supplying the airport.

- Testing and inspection specialist Intertek Group ITRK.L is to become the latest in a string of FTSE-100 companies to hand their chief executives a sizeable pay boost as CEO Andre Lacroix is awarded a multi-million pound increase in his maximum remuneration package.

($1 = 0.7719 pounds)