Here are the top business stories making the headlines in the morning newspapers.

Countdown to the Budget

Individuals and businesses will be keeping a close eye on what Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announces in Wednesday's Budget.

He is expected to extend the current level of support for energy bills, limiting costs for a typical family to £2,500 a year, for a further three months until June. The BBC also says other measures reportedly under consideration, but not yet confirmed, include continuing the 5p cut to fuel duty, changes to tax-free pensions allowances, and bringing forward a rise in the pension age.

The chancellor has also resisted Tory calls for the planned rise in Corporation Tax from 19% to 25% to be cancelled or deferred.

Downplaying the prospects of a major tax-cutting Budget, Mr Hunt said it was important to be "responsible with public finances".

Sparrows strike vote

Around 200 offshore workers employed by contractor Sparrows Group are set to strike in an escalating row over pay, terms and conditions.

Unite the union announced late Friday that around 150 of the contractor's offshore workers voted to pursue industrial action, in a move it said would affect more than 20 oil and gas installations across the North Sea.

The Press & Journal says workers include offshore crane operatives, crane maintainers, lifting personnel and deck crew.

Amongst their contentions, union organisers said members were seeking the immediate reversal of "savage cuts to terms and conditions" allegedly imposed by their employer.

In response, Sparrows said it was "disappointed" that employees had voted in favour of industrial action.

Unite said the action would hit installations operated by a number of North Sea firms including Apache, Shell, and Harbour Energy.

Retailer in potential food-fraud case is named

Supermarket Booths is the retailer caught up in a case of potential food fraud involving beef falsely labelled as British by a supplier.

Booths has 27 stores across north-west England.

The National Food Crime Unit is investigating how the chain was supplied with products labelled as British, when they were sourced from South America and Europe instead.

The BBC says Booths is not under investigation.

The products in question were pre-packed sliced meats and deli products.

Booths said that, as soon as it was made aware of the potential issues in 2021, it removed all relevant products from sale and ceased trading with the supplier with immediate effect and that it only related to a limited selection of cooked meats.

The retailer is often described as "the Waitrose of the North" and prides itself on selling 100% British beef.

Swinney backs Yousaf

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has backed Humza Yousaf in the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister.

Mr Swinney is the most high-profile figure in the party to endorse the Scottish Health Secretary.

But Kate Forbes' campaign manager said the announcement suggested the SNP hierarchy were "absolutely panicking".

Mr Yousaf is standing against the Finance Secretary and ex-Community-Safety Minister Ash Regan.

SNP members will start voting for the new leader today, with the winner to be announced on March 27.

The BBC says Mr Swinney's endorsement comes after the party's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn confirmed he would be supporting Mr Yousaf.

Ms Sturgeon has previously said she would not be publicly backing any of the three candidates.

Apology to BBC licence-fee payers

Talks between the BBC and Gary Lineker were last night said to be "moving in the right direction" after a second day of scheduling disruption.

BBC News understands there are hopes of a resolution soon, but not all issues are fully resolved at this stage.

Weekend football coverage was disrupted due to walkouts triggered by the Match of the Day host's suspension.

Director General Tim Davie has apologised to licence-fee payers following the sports-programme disruption.

Presenters, pundits and commentators pulled out of BBC football coverage in support of Mr Lineker, who was taken off air for criticising UK Government asylum plans.

Pre-payment meters review

People are being asked to submit "candid and frank" accounts of their experiences of moving to an energy pre-payment meter, as part of a review.

The way prepayment meters are handled is under the spotlight after it emerged that agents for British Gas had broken into vulnerable people's homes to force-fit meters.

Now the regulator, Ofgem, wants to hear directly from customers.

The BBC says views - good and bad - can be entered via a Citizens Advice website.

Energy-bill saving

More than four million struggling UK households are set to save £45 a year on energy bills from July 1, the Government has said.

This will happen by bringing pre-payment energy charges in line with customers who pay by direct debit.

The BBC
says households which have pre-payment meters are typically vulnerable or on low incomes.

But they pay more because energy firms pass on the costs of managing the meters.

EIS pay deal

Members of Scotland's largest teaching union the EIS have accepted a pay deal to end long-running school strikes.

The BBC says teachers will receive a 7% pay rise backdated to last April, a further 5% next month and 2% in January.

Spanish football giant faces corruption charges

Barcelona faces charges of corruption over payments the club made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira - a former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee.

The BBC says it emerged last month that Barca paid Negreira and a company he owns a reported total of £7.4million between 2001 and 2018.

A Barcelona court heard on Friday that Barca, former club officials and Negreira had been indicted for "corruption", "breach of trust" and "false business records".

These lawsuits, brought by the Barcelona public prosecutor's office, target the club, as well as former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell.

Asteroid could hit Earth in 2046

A newly detected asteroid has a very small chance of impacting the Earth in 2046, Nasa has tweeted.

If it does hit, the asteroid, roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool, may arrive on Valentine's Day 2046 according to calculations.

The closest the asteroid is expected to get to Earth is about 1.1million miles, Nasa says.

But researchers are still collecting data, which they say may change predictions.

The BBC says the asteroid, dubbed 2023 DW, has about a one in 560 chance of hitting Earth.

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