PRESS DIGEST-British Business-Feb 15

Feb 15 (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 * Jeff Fairburn, chief executive of Persimmon (PSN.L) , is in line for one of the largest bonuses in UK corporate history, currently set to be as much as 100 million pounds ($140.03 million). (http://bit.ly/2Cmxe3L) * Sterling will plunge more than 15 percent from current levels if Britain leaves the European Union in a disorderly fashion, the International Monetary Fund has warned. (http://bit.ly/2ClvkjU) The Guardian * British workers are set for the biggest annual pay rise in a decade, according to forecasts from the Bank of England's agents, as the rising minimum wage and staff shortages finally begin to lift wages above inflation.(http://bit.ly/2Cllleu) * GVC (GVC.L) , the online gambling firm behind Foxy Bingo, has been fined 350,000 pounds for "repeatedly misleading consumers" with offers of free bonuses, on the same day that regulators announced a crackdown on gambling adverts. (http://bit.ly/2Cl6L6Q) The Telegraph * An independent U.S. trade body on Wednesday said it rejected hefty duties on Bombardier's(BBDb.TO)C-Series jets partly because Boeing(BA.N)lost no sales or revenue when Delta Air Lines ordered the aircraft in 2016 from the Canadian planemaker. (http://bit.ly/2CmhJc2) * The chief executive of Galliford Try (GFRD.L) has said that the cost of a troublesome road project in Aberdeen, one of the contracts which sunk fellow contractor Carillion(CLLN.L) , will be more than 150 million pounds higher than it had initially thought. (http://bit.ly/2CmC6Ge) Sky News * The parent company of Barratt, Dip Dab brands, Tangerine Confectionery, will be auctioned later this year by its owner, the private equity behemoth Blackstone(BX.N) . (http://bit.ly/2CldBcp) * The European Union economy grew at its fastest rate in 10 years in 2017, registering a 2.5 percent increase on the year before. (http://bit.ly/2ClZjIo) The Independent * British lawmakers have called for urgent action over an erupting pensions misselling scandal after finding that financial advisers exploited thousands of savers for "cynical" personal gain. (https://ind.pn/2CmCm8a) * Major banks including Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and JP Morgan (JPM.N)have been called out by Conservative MP and head of the influential Treasury Select Committee Nicky Morgan for failing to sign the Women in Finance Charter, which pledges to promote gender diversity across their businesses. (https://ind.pn/2ClimTr) ($1 = 0.7141 pounds)