Nov 17 (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

– The Bank of England could lower interest rates as soon as February, economists at Goldman Sachs have said.

– Poor quality of service and defecting customers have plunged Royal Mail deeper into the red, prompting its new boss to demand that the government scraps its privatisation commitment to a universal six-day service.

The Guardian

– Large parts of the Port Talbot steelworks will be closed or mothballed for years, and would leave the plant reliant on imported steel, according to proposals under consideration by the owner, Tata Steel.

– The UK government will offer significantly higher subsidies for new offshore windfarms after crisis talks with developers that are battling cost inflation across global energy supply chains.

The Telegraph

– The Bank of England’s decision to sell-off government bonds is costing taxpayers 15 billion pounds ($18.62 billion) a year and squeezing Jeremy Hunt’s room to cut taxes, a top investment bank has warned.

– Britain’s Hotel Chocolat agreed to a 534 million pound ($662 million) takeover offer from Mars Inc, as the specialist chocolatier succumbs to the U.S. food giant to help it grow internationally, netting its founders a tidy profit.

Sky News

– The UK government has announced plans to remove benefits and step up monitoring of welfare recipients in an effort to bring more people into work. ($1 = 0.8058 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)