:00:00. > :00:14.That's all from us. On Newsnight on BBC2 in a few moments,
:00:15. > :00:18.And now the news for the East Midlands.
:00:19. > :00:21.First tonight, one of the most famous manufacturing names in the
:00:22. > :00:26.East Midlands is closing down, with the loss of 540 jobs. Imperial
:00:27. > :00:32.Tobacco says all production at its factory on the edge of Nottingham
:00:33. > :00:36.will end by 2016. The company is blaming increased taxation and the
:00:37. > :00:39.growth of the illegal tobacco trade. It brings to an end a
:00:40. > :00:48.cigarette`making tradition that started with John Player 137 years
:00:49. > :00:51.ago. Here's John Hess. ?? new line As the morning shift left for home,
:00:52. > :00:54.the repercussions of today's announcement was only just sinking
:00:55. > :00:59.in. The workforce has always been very flexible. Giving everything the
:01:00. > :01:02.company asked for. And now they do this to us. It is disappointing for
:01:03. > :01:04.people with young families, mortgages. Imperial's Nottingham
:01:05. > :01:08.factory produces cigarettes mainly for the UK market, with brands such
:01:09. > :01:13.as JPS, John Player Special, and Lambert and Butler. In a statement,
:01:14. > :01:15.Imperial said that the closure reflected declining European sales
:01:16. > :01:22.volumes impacted by tough economic conditions and increasing
:01:23. > :01:32.regulation. The regulatory environment has become tougher in
:01:33. > :01:34.recent years. `` more complex. Excessive tobacco duty is not
:01:35. > :01:37.helpful. It drives people towards the illicit trade. For union
:01:38. > :01:40.official Andy Littlewood, today's announcement ends a family
:01:41. > :01:47.tradition. He is a third generation factory worker in Imperial's
:01:48. > :01:51.Nottingham factory. There are people there in tears. For people it is a
:01:52. > :01:54.terrible shock that the company has decided to do what they're going to
:01:55. > :01:57.do. There have always been rumours but the shock today of that
:01:58. > :02:00.announcement, there are people devastated. The Horizon factory was
:02:01. > :02:08.purpose`built in the 1970s as part of an industrial regeneration
:02:09. > :02:12.project. Near its site now, there are plans for a purpose`built
:02:13. > :02:16.enterprise zone. Nottingham is a resilient city and we're looking to
:02:17. > :02:18.create jobs. We will have an enterprise zone near where this
:02:19. > :02:25.organisation moves away from. We want to get the skills to get those
:02:26. > :02:27.jobs. Whatever the future, 540 jobs are going, discarded just like an
:02:28. > :02:31.empty cigarette packet. Imperial Tobacco said that the closure of its
:02:32. > :02:34.Horizon factory in Nottingham and its sister factory in western France
:02:35. > :02:45.would save ?300 million a year to sustain the future of the business.
:02:46. > :02:55.I'm joined by Nottingham city councillor Nick McDonald. Has the
:02:56. > :03:02.Council assessed what the economic impact would be of this decision? I
:03:03. > :03:06.don't think it suggests a wider malaise in the Nottingham economy.
:03:07. > :03:10.It is a particular decision to this sector and the company. That is a
:03:11. > :03:16.lot of jobs so the impact on those individuals will be considerable and
:03:17. > :03:19.that'll be the focus of our efforts. We heard from a few workers from the
:03:20. > :03:26.factory, what support them being given? I spoke to the head of UK
:03:27. > :03:32.affairs at Imperial Tobacco and ask for an urgent meeting. We spoke also
:03:33. > :03:35.to the Department for Work and Pensions. There is lots that we can
:03:36. > :03:42.pull together as a City Council and we will make sure that that is done.
:03:43. > :03:45.Is there any conflict here, because we are concerned about job losses,
:03:46. > :03:51.but the council has a campaign aimed at stopping people smoking? I don't
:03:52. > :03:56.think people whose jobs are affected will be thinking in those terms.
:03:57. > :04:01.They will be thinking about supporting their families. Our
:04:02. > :04:05.concern is to help them. Thank you. A teenager has been found guilty of
:04:06. > :04:08.the murder of a Leicester football coach. The jury at Stafford Crown
:04:09. > :04:11.Court took around a day to convict Hussein Hussein, 19, of Antoin
:04:12. > :04:14.Akpom's murder. The 20`year`old died from a single stab wound last
:04:15. > :04:16.September. The jury will continue their deliberations tomorrow in
:04:17. > :04:26.regards to Hussein's co`defendant, Abdul Hakim. He denies murder.
:04:27. > :04:29.Derby's Assembly Rooms could be closed for 18 months or even
:04:30. > :04:33.demolished after a huge fire a month ago. The City Council, which owns
:04:34. > :04:37.the venue, says it is looking at all the options. There is a long list of
:04:38. > :04:41.shows which have been called off, as Mike O'Sullivan reports.
:04:42. > :04:46.The fire, which destroyed the plant room for the Assembly Room a month
:04:47. > :04:49.ago. Located on top of the car park next door. A senior council official
:04:50. > :04:55.told me the entertainment venue could be closed for at least 18
:04:56. > :04:59.months, or even demolished. We know it will be closed for 18 months but
:05:00. > :05:03.we are saying at the same time we will do an options appraisal and
:05:04. > :05:06.look at what all our options could possibly be on this site, what are
:05:07. > :05:14.the options for entertainment going forward. We are not ruling anything
:05:15. > :05:18.out or anything in. These pictures show the roof of the plant room
:05:19. > :05:21.today. A mangled mess. But underneath, there is extensive
:05:22. > :05:28.ducting coated with polystyrene foam which would have to be replaced,
:05:29. > :05:32.costing millions. These are some of the acts and events which can't go
:05:33. > :05:40.ahead. Comedian Sarah Millican in May. Dawn French at Derby's first
:05:41. > :05:44.comedy Festival. The Folk Festival in October. The Festival of
:05:45. > :05:49.Remembrance, so poignant this year. And next January, thousands of
:05:50. > :05:52.graduates at Derby University. There is also concern from businesses
:05:53. > :05:56.around the Assembly Rooms about the impact of the closure on Derby's
:05:57. > :06:00.night`time economy. The Assembly Rooms does bring a lot of people
:06:01. > :06:06.into the centre, to the bars and restaurants, it is an important
:06:07. > :06:09.draw. Also in the daytime, we have got the shoppers visiting and we
:06:10. > :06:13.have the car park out of action because the Assembly Rooms has a
:06:14. > :06:23.very large car park. With all the options open, it could be months
:06:24. > :06:27.before a decision is made. That is your news, now goodbye and
:06:28. > :06:41.here is your weather. When not doing too badly this week.
:06:42. > :06:52.Turning Chile now `` turning Chile macro now. Temperatures will drop
:06:53. > :06:59.under the clear skies. A good night if you like doing stargazing.
:07:00. > :07:05.Tomorrow will be a cold and frosty start initially but at least quite a
:07:06. > :07:09.bit of sunshine. There is a veil of high cloud which starts to come in
:07:10. > :07:15.in the afternoon. The wind is still very light, coming from the south.
:07:16. > :07:22.There will be a slight change in the weather on Thursday. It takes place
:07:23. > :07:25.overnight Wednesday. A cold front working its way southwards. It will
:07:26. > :07:31.bring cloud and maybe the odd spot of rain. That is the forecast. The
:07:32. > :07:35.National forecast is coming. This is hopefully warmer. This is a summary
:07:36. > :07:43.and the look at the National forecast.
:07:44. > :07:47.The sun has set on another beautiful day. Like last night, temperatures
:07:48. > :07:51.have taken a nosedive this evening. It will be a cold night for the
:07:52. > :07:55.middle of April. Temperature is well down into single figures in towns
:07:56. > :08:00.and cities. Across eastern England in rural spots, close to freezing.
:08:01. > :08:04.We are expecting another frost across many parts of England and
:08:05. > :08:07.where. For Northern Ireland and Scotland, temperatures were covering
:08:08. > :08:14.later in the night but for most of us, a cold but sunny start. The last
:08:15. > :08:17.one for a while. We will see cloud increasing across Northern Ireland
:08:18. > :08:21.and Scotland, the breeze freshening and rain heading into the far
:08:22. > :08:27.north-west. Further south, a sunny day for most of England and Wales.
:08:28. > :08:31.Clouds are rare and temperatures will bounce back nicely. On the
:08:32. > :08:37.coastal fringes, quite cool. The breeze will have an edge to it.
:08:38. > :08:40.Inland, warming up nicely and former than today in some places across
:08:41. > :08:43.southeastern England. For Northern Ireland and Scotland it will be a
:08:44. > :08:44.cooler day than today with the