Dec 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

* Twenty-First Century Fox Inc is expected today to make a formal offer to buy Sky Plc in an 18.5 billion pounds ($23.17 billion) takeover. http://bit.ly/2hH1dO7

* Mortgage lending dipped in October for home movers, first-time buyers and buy-to-let landlords, according to the Council for Mortgage Lenders. The Council said a total of 10.5 billion pounds ($13.15 billion) had been lent in October. This was 11 percent lower than October last year. http://bit.ly/2hGTxeO

The Guardian

* The Danish firm Lego is to raise its prices in Britain by 5 percent next year as it becomes the latest manufacturer to respond to the plunging pound after the UK voted to leave the EU. http://bit.ly/2hGUync

* The maximum compensation someone can receive if an investment company goes bust could be increased from its current 50,000 pounds ($62,610.00) to as much as 1 million pounds ($1.25 million), Britain's Financial Conduct Authority has suggested. http://bit.ly/2hGWD2p

The Telegraph

* It is vital to fight for the City London in the Brexit negotiations, and the government should not be ashamed to stand up for Britain's banking expertise, a committee of Lords has announced. http://bit.ly/2hGQeUV

* The London Stock Exchange Group Plc has said it will "constructively engage" with European regulators after they homed in on derivatives clearing as the focus of their probe into the firm's planned merger with Deutsche Boerse. http://bit.ly/2hGVojs

Sky News

* A strike by drivers who deliver goods for Argos Resources Ltd has been called off just a day after it was announced. http://bit.ly/2hGTgsd

* The architect of impending reforms to the BBC's governance, David Clementi, is among a crop of candidates vying to become the broadcaster's next chairman. http://bit.ly/2hGVzeI

The Independent

* British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of strikes which could severely impact flights at Heathrow airport over Christmas. http://ind.pn/2hGVHuY

* Conditions at a JD Sports Fashion Plc's warehouse are "worse than a prison" and staff are threatened with being sacked just for sitting down, according to allegations made in a Channel 4 News film. http://ind.pn/2hGNmYa ($1 = 0.7986 pounds) (Compiled by Bhanu Pratap in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)