Here are the business stories making the headlines across the country this morning.
UK economy is on the right track, claims Sunak
The UK economy is getting "on the right track", claimed Rishi Sunak ahead of what could be his government's final Budget before the general election.
The prime minister spoke as the chancellor prepared for Wednesday, when he is widely expected to announce tax cuts but has cautioned it will be a "prudent and responsible" Budget.
Downing Street denied that Mr Sunak thinks Jeremy Hunt "lacks imagination".
The UK fell into recession last year and has less room for Budget giveaways.
Former Twitter chiefs launch $128m lawsuit against Elon Musk
A group of former Twitter executives have launched a legal battle against Elon Musk over claims they are owed $128m (£100m) in severance pay.
Those suing the Tesla billionaire, who bought Twitter for $44bn in October 2022 before renaming it X, include ex-chief executive Parag Agrawal and former finance boss Ned Segal.
Court filings in California reveal that the group, which also consists of Twitter’s former legal head Vijaya Gadde and ex-general counsel Sean Edgett, have accused Mr Musk of purposefully withholding pay.
The executives, who led Twitter during Mr Musk’s high-profile and drawn-out takeover, were subsequently fired for allegations of gross negligence and willful misconduct - claims that the four deny.
Apple fined £1.5bn for not notifying users of cheaper music streaming options
Apple has been fined €1.8b (£1.54b) by the EU for favouring its own music streaming service rather than rivals.
Apple did not fully inform their device users there were alternative and cheaper subscription services for more than a decade, said the EU executive, the European Commission.
As a result, iPhone and iPad users paid "significantly higher prices for music streaming subscriptions", it said, and Apple abused its dominant position as the provider of music streaming services in its app store.
The fine has been issued due to a complaint by streaming service Spotify which then launched a five-year EU investigation focused on how Apple prevented app developers from telling users of cheaper ways to pay for subscriptions without going through an app.
Used car market is getting into gear, says Vertu boss
The boss of one of Britain’s biggest car dealers has hailed the return of “a sensible used car market” after issuing a profit warning in December, while conceding that the demand for new vehicles is still uncertain.
Robert Forrester, 54, the founder and chief executive of Vertu Motors, described the slump in car values as a “once-in-a-decade event”, one to which the company had responded by slashing its stock levels and using the cash generated to cut its debt.
He said that dealing with the problems had been “costly and painful”, but the situation had played out as he had expected and the market dynamics had become more normal.
"We reduced our stock by about £40 million, which in a declining market is exactly what you need to do,” he said.
"That’s going straight into the bank, so we’re guiding that our net debt will be considerably lower than expectations at about £60 million to £65 million, which reduces interest payments."