PRESS DIGEST-British Business - March 16

March 16 (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

- China poses the "biggest state-based threat" to the UK's economic security and presents a "systemic challenge" to British prosperity and values, according to a copy of the defence, security and foreign policy report that was leaked before publication to The Times. https://bit.ly/3czFrWy

- Thorntons, the high street chocolate retailer, is permanently closing its shops in Britain, putting 603 jobs at risk. https://bit.ly/38KA31z

The Guardian

- Britain is lifting the cap on the number of Trident nuclear warheads it can stockpile by more than 40%, Boris Johnson will announce on Tuesday, ending 30 years of gradual disarmament since the collapse of the Soviet Union. https://bit.ly/3vmEnOe

- Europe's medicines regulator has moved to stifle spiralling concern about the Oxford University and AstraZeneca PlcAZN.L vaccine, saying the shot's benefits outweigh the risks after four major EU countries announced they were suspending its use. https://bit.ly/2QaGrJ9

The Telegraph

- Police officers in plain clothes will be stationed undercover outside bars and clubs across the UK in the coming months in a new scheme to keep women safe on the streets. https://bit.ly/3cPNRt9

- Brussels has accused Britain of violating international law as it launched legal action over Boris Johnson's decision to unilaterally extend post-Brexit grace periods in Northern Ireland. https://bit.ly/3lljIFH

Sky News

- Baroness Morrissey, one of the City's most prominent female figures, is quitting the board of St James's Place SJP.L after just 14 months to chair a rival in the wealth management industry. https://bit.ly/38FwRnN

- Greggs Plc GRG.L will this week reveal that it is baking boardroom succession plans when it discloses that its veteran chairman will remain in place to oversee the hunt for a new chief executive. https://bit.ly/3tjsp6j

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

((globalnewsmonitoring@thomsonreuters.com))