PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Dec 19

The following are the top stories in the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

Sir Christopher Hohn, the billionaire hedge fund manager behind a campaign to oust the chairman of the London Stock Exchange, is set to skip an investor meeting tomorrow at which his future will be decided. http://bit.ly/2BIbFOV

The Guardian

Brexit secretary David Davis will warn the European Commission that it cannot "cherrypick some sectors" when negotiating a trade deal, according to a senior government official. http://bit.ly/2BvDuY7

Britain cannot have a special deal for the City of London, the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has told the Guardian. http://bit.ly/2kHrYkp

The Telegraph

The European Union is considering launching a database of bitcoin owners in Europe under laws designed to fight money laundering and terrorism. http://bit.ly/2kgstm7

The European Union has launched an investigation into the tax affairs of Ikea after claims the retailer's deals with the Dutch government have saved it around 1 billion euros in taxes ($1.18 billion). http://bit.ly/2kI9vo0

Sky News

UK Prime Minister Theresa May will tell MPs the UK will look to sign trade deals with non-EU countries and prepare new immigration controls during a transitional deal with Brussels. http://bit.ly/2kdaptg

Ryanair Holdings Plc's Ireland-based pilots have suspended a strike planned for Wednesday after the airline signalled a climbdown over union recognition. http://bit.ly/2ke2zQ8

The Independent

U.S. military personnel fired shots after a car forced its way through a checkpoint at the RAF Mildenhall U.S. air base, police have revealed. https://ind.pn/2CA1Xec

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly refused to guarantee that EU rules to limit the working week to 48 hours will survive Brexit, as the Cabinet debates the controversy. https://ind.pn/2CA2rkw

($1 = 0.8488 euros) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)