Aug 20 (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

- Britain is halting a scheme to support the opposition in rebel-held areas of Syria, with the projects financing local councils likely to be stopped by the end of the financial year. http://bit.ly/2Pnh9CM

The Guardian

- A pro European Union Labour peer and former cabinet minister, Andrew Adonis, has said the party is "finished" if it contests another election promising to back Brexit. http://bit.ly/2MYuaRr

- Former CIA director John Brennan is threatening legal action against U.S. President Donald Trump, after he was summarily stripped of his security clearance. http://bit.ly/2N567AE

The Telegraph

- Members of parliament are demanding a larger expenses budget because they claim Brexit is adding to their "workloads", the official watchdog has revealed. http://bit.ly/2N1GFMj

- The search for Esure Group Plc's next chief executive has been rattled by the company's agreement to be taken over by U.S. private equity group Bain Capital for 1.2 billion pounds ($1.53 billion) with Peter Wood, the firm's founder, saying two candidates had been short-listed before Bain's approach. http://bit.ly/2N0sYxb

Sky News

Italy will launch a national plan to make motorways, bridges and schools safe following the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa, the government said. http://bit.ly/2wm0uXF ($1 = 0.7841 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)