Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Deliveroo not forced by law to engage with unions, Supreme Court rules
Deliveroo cannot be legally compelled to engage with a union representing its riders for the purposes of collective bargaining, judges have ruled.
The decision is the latest in a long-running dispute, which began when a union tried to represent a group of riders over pay and conditions.
The case was previously dismissed by lower courts but an appeal was brought to the Supreme Court.
However, judges at the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the appeal.
Toyota SUV adverts banned in UK on environmental grounds
The UK advertising watchdog has banned two Toyota adverts for condoning driving that disregards its environmental impact in a landmark ruling, stating that the SUV ads had been created without “a sense of responsibility to society”.
It is the first time the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has blocked an SUV advert on the grounds of breaching social responsibility in an environmental context.
The regulator barred two ads, first released in a 2020 campaign: a poster and a video shown on social media, where dozens of Toyota Hilux cars drive across off-road terrain, including a river, while a voiceover describes the scene as “one of nature’s true spectacles”.
The vehicles then join a road and drive through an urban area, before a lone car enters a driveway, with the voiceover continuing: “Toyota Hilux. Born to roam.” The poster shows two SUVs in the foreground, followed by a swarm of others traversing a rocky terrain over a cloud of dust.
COVID inquiry: Mass gatherings in March 2020 were 'logically incoherent', Sir Chris Whitty says
Allowing mass gatherings in the early days of the pandemic was "logically incoherent" to the public and gave a false impression of "normality," Professor Sir Chris Whitty has said.
England's chief medical officer made the admission as he appeared as a witness at the official COVID inquiry.
The government came under criticism for allowing the Cheltenham Festival to take place over four days in mid March despite the emerging crisis.
It also gave the green light to a Champions League game between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid at Anfield, which saw a capacity crowd of more than 50,000 fans gather on 11 March.
Vauxhall owner in talks with Chinese rival for European EV battery factory
Vauxhall owner Stellantis is in talks with a Chinese battery-maker to build a European factory for car cells, in spite of warnings by its chief executive over the threat of Beijing’s dominance in the motor industry.
Stellantis is in negotiations with CATL, the world’s biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), over a joint venture to make cheaper power cells, which Carlos Tavares, the Stellantis chief executive, hopes will help lower car prices.
The deal comes months after Mr Tavares warned of an “invasion” of cheap Chinese cars into Europe and predicted a “terrible fight” between domestic manufacturers and Asian rivals.
Up to 30 new EV brands are eyeing up the UK car market, most of them Chinese.