Oct 8 (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

- Mike Ashley's Sports Direct International Plc has dismissed reports that it is preparing to close almost all House of Fraser stores after the Christmas shopping season. http://bit.ly/2LT4pEb

- De La Rue Plc appointed Clive Vacher as chief executive on Monday as a recovery effort intended to end more than a year of turmoil at the company. http://bit.ly/30ZTtJn

The Guardian

- Emergency tax cuts and higher public spending to offset the impact of a no-deal Brexit would send government debt to its highest level in more than half a century, according to Britain's leading experts on the public finances. http://bit.ly/2obe8Nb

- Twenty of UK's leading universities have struck a 50 million pound ($61.45 million) deal to buy renewable energy directly from British windfarms for the first time. http://bit.ly/2VldZ5O

The Telegraph

- Thomas Cook staff kept on after the collapse of the airline are being "held to ransom" and told they will miss out on redundancy pay if they quit for another job, former employees have claimed. http://bit.ly/2oYAgKI

- Tory billionaire Michael Spencer is closing in on a deal for a portion of the parent company of the Tote, one of Britain's most prominent gambling businesses, owned by billionaire Fred Done. http://bit.ly/2LWfsfM

Sky News

- The marketing services mogul Martin Sorrell will this week unveil a 100 million pound share sale to fund another wave of takeover deals as his new venture edges closer to a 1 billion pound valuation. http://bit.ly/2oXXY9Q

- The Thomas Cook website set up to deal with customer refunds in the wake of the firm's collapse has struggled to cope with demand shortly after going live. http://bit.ly/2oWKL19 ($1 = 0.8137 pounds)

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)