Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
ScotWind benefits will take decades to arrive, admits senior official
It could be decades before benefits from the “high-risk, high-reward” auctioning of Scotland’s seabed for offshore wind farms are felt, a senior government official has warned.
Andy Kerr, director-general of net zero for the Scottish government, was being questioned by MSPs on Holyrood’s public audit committee.
Kerr defended choices made in the ScotWind leasing round which eventually brought in £755m through the initial upfront fees.
Click here to read more in The Times.
AI is barely boosting productivity, says Bank of England
The rollout of AI is barely boosting the UK’s productivity, the Bank of England has said, despite businesses ploughing vast sums into the new technology.
The central bank’s monetary policy report said on Thursday that AI had only boosted economic growth through higher spending by companies rather than from productivity gains made by workers.
The Bank said the findings were consistent with the “impact on productivity having been relatively small so far”.
Click here to read more in The Telegraph.
New operators of Newburgh’s Udny Arms Hotel revealed
A global hospitality company with a portfolio spanning Scotland and the Middle East has been revealed as the new operator of the Udny Arms in Newburgh.
The historic Aberdeenshire business and its popular Trellis Coffee Shop will now be managed by 7 Hospitality Management – also known as 7H.
The move comes almost a year after the hotel and cafe were placed into administration and put up for sale with a £1.6 million price tag in November 2025.
Click here to read more in the Press & Journal.
Firms told to publish salaries in job adverts ahead of new law
Businesses should publish salaries in job adverts now, Prime Minister Andy Burnham is telling firms, rather than wait for a new law to come in that will force them to do so.
The government is planning to make pay details compulsory in adverts, with legislation on the issue being brought forward "as soon as possible".
It argues the change will help jobseekers, particularly those applying for their first job, and could help prevent pay discrimination. However, one industry group said setting pay was a complex process and regulating adverts was not always suitable.
Click here to read more on the BBC News website.
Liz Truss finds ally in disgraced ex-Rangers owner Craig Whyte
Liz Truss has found a new ally in the shape of Craig Whyte, the disgraced former Rangers owner.
Truss appeared as the star guest in a recent episode on the controversial businessman’s YouTube channel Acequisition.
The Times reports that the pair had a cosy chat as the former prime minister promoted her new book Bank Job, an attempt to justify the actions that led to her being ousted from No 10 after only 49 days in office.
Click here to read more.