Jan 10 (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 chief executive of Persimmon Plc, Jeff Fairburn, has defended a bonus scheme that is set to pay him more than 110 million pounds ($148.83 million) amid a row that prompted the chairman to resign and sparked condemnation from parliamentarians. http://bit.ly/2qMQXJn

- Companies are facing skill shortages at critical levels that will restrain economic activity this year unless the issue is addressed, the British Chambers of Commerce has warned. http://bit.ly/2qNix9q

The Guardian

- British chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit secretary David Davis have made a direct appeal to German business leaders to help them forge a Brexit deal to secure the future of Britain's financial services. http://bit.ly/2qJrtg1

- Financial markets are complacent about the risks of sharply higher interest rates that could be triggered by better than expected growth in the global economy this year, the World Bank has warned. http://bit.ly/2qMNM4z

The Telegraph

- British Taxpayers may be on the hook for tens of millions of pounds a year in extra payments to underperforming rail operator Govia even though older trains will now be used for longer. The National Audit Office said a delay to the delivery of new Class 700 trains for Govia's Thameslink services meant the company would be unlikely to have the amount of new trains which had been planned when the contract was first struck. http://bit.ly/2qNjtKY

- The energy industry's largest suppliers should be forced to sell off a slice of their customer base to new entrants in order to reset competition in the market, according to a veteran industry regulator Stephen Littlechild. http://bit.ly/2qNRU43

Sky News

- Tesco Plc was named the best major supermarket performer in the run-up to Christmas as shoppers splashed out an extra 1 billion pounds ($1.35 billion) across the sector, according to industry data from Kantar Worldpanel. http://bit.ly/2qMANjh

- The European Union has said it is "surprised" Brexit Secretary David Davis complained the bloc is planning for a no-deal Brexit. http://bit.ly/2qI6RES

The Independent

- UK drivers were hit with a 4 percent price hike on their car insurance premiums in the last three months of 2017 compared with the previous quarter, research by MoneySuperMarket has revealed. https://ind.pn/2qI8Hpg ($1 = 0.7391 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)