Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.

Government borrowing higher than expected in October

Government borrowing was much higher than expected in October, official figures show.

Borrowing - the difference between spending and tax take - was £17.4bn last month, the second highest October figure since monthly records began in 1993.

The borrowing figures are the first to be released since Chancellor Rachel Reeves' first Budget last month.

Teacher whistleblowing form dropped after one use

A whistleblowing form for teachers to report violent incidents involving pupils in schools has been removed by Aberdeen City Council.

The council introduced the forms in March after staff complained they were being discouraged from reporting such incidents.

But it later emerged the form was only used once.

Santander UK sets aside £295m for car finance scandal

The brewing controversy over mis-sold car loans has forced Santander UK to set aside £295million to potentially compensate aggrieved motor finance customers.

The bank joins a small but growing list of lenders that have started to make provisions for the growing scandal, which some analysts believe could leave the car loans industry footing a redress bill of as much as £30 billion.

Santander UK’s move takes the total amount earmarked by firms for compensation costs so far to just under £1billion, according to research by The Times.

US proposes breakup of Google to end search monopoly

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed a series of remedies aimed at stopping Google from maintaining its monopoly in online search.

In a court filing late on Wednesday, the DOJ said the technology giant should sell off its Chrome web browser.

Government lawyers also recommended that District Judge Amit Mehta force the firm to stop entering into contracts with companies - including Apple and Samsung - that make its search engine the default on many smartphones and browsers.

Ford to cut thousands of jobs as industry frets over weak EV sales

Ford has announced plans to cut 800 jobs in the UK - as the car industry frets over weak electric vehicle (EV) sales that could see firms fined more missing government targets.

Nissan warned that the so-called mandates covering the sale of non-zero-emission cars risked "undermining the business case for manufacturing cars in the UK and the viability of thousands of jobs".

It spoke up hours after Ford revealed cuts as part of plans to bolster its competitiveness in Europe amid the stuttering drive to the EV future.

More tenants could be excluded from Right to Buy

More social housing tenants could be stopped from buying their own homes as part of a shake up of Right to Buy policy.

Under the proposals, tenants may have to wait more than ten years to buy their homes and those living in newly built social homes may never be able to buy.

The government also wants to cut Right to Buy discounts back to pre-2012 levels and discourage social tenants from selling the homes they have bought.

Children in Need chairwoman resigns with tirade at chief executive

The chairwoman of BBC’s Children in Need charity has quit, alleging “institutional failure” over grants awarded to a youth transgender charity hit by ­child abuse scandals.

Rosie Millard, 59, a writer and broadcaster, resigned after six years at the charity, sending a scathing letter to its board.

The letter, seen by The Times, criticised Children in Need’s chief executive, Simon Antrobus, for his response, amid revelations that it awarded £466,000 in grants to LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS).

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