PRESS DIGEST-British Business - February 9

Feb 9 (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

- Angela Rayner, the former British deputy prime minister, said she has contacted the Revenue & Customs department to offer assistance in speeding up its investigation into her tax affairs.

- British technology and online grocery group Ocado OCDO.L is planning to cut up to 1,000 jobs, which would be roughly 5% of its global headcount.

The Guardian

- Britain's Labour government will introduce legislation this week to lower the minimum age for train drivers to 18 from 20, aiming to address looming staff shortages on the rail network.

- A senior cabinet minister said Peter Mandelson should return a payout he received on quitting the House of Lords, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer after reports that the UK's former ambassador to the United States was paid the equivalent of three month's salary.

The Telegraph

- Barclays BARC.L is cutting jobs and moving some roles to India as it ramps up the use of artificial intelligence under a plan to cut costs by 2 billion pounds ($2.72 billion).

- Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned of 'complacency' in financial markets, cautioning that expectations of AI‑driven productivity gains may fail to materialise and risk inflating a stock market bubble.

-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, has quit his role at Downing Street amid a backlash over his involvement in the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.

Sky News

- U.S investment firm KKR KKR.N has ended its relationship with Global Counsel, the lobbying firm set up by former British politician Peter Mandelson.

($1 = 0.7351 pounds)