PRESS DIGEST-British Business - March 24

March 24(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 raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25%, its highest level since November 2008, in the latest increase as the central bank races to tame inflation that has stayed in double digits.

- Accenture announced plans to cut 19,000 jobs, about 2.5% of the IT services firm's global workforce, as corporate clients grow evermore cautious amid heightened economic fears.

The Guardian

- British energy regulator Ofgem is preparing to crack down on UK power firms to prevent them from "manipulating" the market with a manoeuvre that has bolstered their profits by millions of pounds.

The Telegraph

- Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner criticised British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for paying lower rate amid suggestions her party is planning a large increase in capital gains levy

Sky News

- British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and his chemicals firm INEOS have submitted a revised bid for Manchester United (MANU) .

- The British arm of Silicon Valley Bank has seen hundreds of millions of pounds of deposit inflows in the wake of its 1 pound ($1.23) rescue takeover by HSBC Holdings (HSBC).

The Independent

- The UK competition watchdog has fined 10 construction firms a total of almost 60 million pounds ($73.67 million)for "illegally colluding" to rig bids for contracts. ($1 = 0.8145 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)