Sept 29 (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

- Former investment minister Gerry Grimstone has been appointed as an adviser to Bain & Company on a project with the Ministry of Investment in Saudi Arabia.

- The government-owned company HS2 has spent more than 280 million pounds ($341.71 million) on consultants in the last seven years including 102 million pounds to PwC alone, and 86 million pounds to Deloitte, despite promises to reduce its reliance on external contractors.

The Guardian

- The average income of Deloitte's more than 640 equity partners in the UK rose to 1.1 million pounds this year, despite a recent slowdown in spending and company deals.

- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is to prioritise the interests of millions of car owners with a series of measures that will provoke environmentalists and curb the power of local councils by setting out his "plan for motorists" that will limit the number of 20mph speed restrictions and favour drivers over bus passengers.

The Telegraph

- A group of investors, including Aviva, Jupiter Asset Management and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), have blasted PM Rishi Sunak for watering down the government's net-zero targets, saying the move risks hitting investment in the UK and erodes the country's position as a "global leader on climate".

- As the troubled department store seeks fresh funding for its turnaround, John Lewis plans to sell off a dozen Waitrose stores to raise up to 150 million pounds.

Sky News

- Unsecured creditors in failed British retailer Wilko face recovering as little as 4p in the pound of the money they are owed, according to the first estimate published by the retailer's administrator PwC.

- Online upmarket fashion retailer Matchesfashion's owner, Apax Partners has entered exclusive negotiations to buy WGSN from Ascential Plc, in a deal that would mark the start of a break-up of its FTSE 250 parent company.

The Independent

- The billionaire owner of the chemicals group Ineos, Jim Ratcliffe accused the UK government of seeking to discourage local oil and gas production and making the country reliant on supplies from overseas producers.

- British supermarket chain Aldi revealed the areas where it wants to open new stores, include parts of London, Penzance, Bath, Maidenhead, Worthing, Warrington, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Derby, Birmingham, Cambridge, York, Cardiff and Cathcart as it invests 1.4 billion Pounds ($1.71 billion)over the next two years.

($1 = 0.8194 pounds) ($1 = 13.8889 pulas) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)