:00:00. > :00:08.The great AstraZeneca row in Cambridge, and why it matters
:00:09. > :00:16.For West Suffolk we have 36 companies with a workforce of 3,000.
:00:17. > :00:20.So for a small place like Suffolk you can see it's very important.
:00:21. > :00:23.Hello and welcome to Look East, with Susie and me.
:00:24. > :00:29.The strongest hint yet that improvements are
:00:30. > :00:34.Summer is just around the corner, and tourism bosses here are
:00:35. > :00:40.Growers here take inspiration from the Western Front to mark
:00:41. > :00:58.The controversial attempted takeover of the drugs company AstraZeneca was
:00:59. > :01:01.back in the national spotlight today,
:01:02. > :01:04.with what happens in Cambridge at the heart of the argument.
:01:05. > :01:07.If the deal goes through, the repercussions could be felt
:01:08. > :01:13.The head of AstraZeneca told MPs that one of the reasons
:01:14. > :01:16.for rejecting a takeover bid from the American giant Pfizer is
:01:17. > :01:21.Cambridge is the focus of the company's long`term
:01:22. > :01:25.But there's a ripple effect that stretches far beyond the city.
:01:26. > :01:29.Some 13,000 jobs in the region depend on the biotec
:01:30. > :01:35.There are more than 700 separate companies, including many
:01:36. > :01:44.in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, as Richard Daniel reports.
:01:45. > :01:47.This place in Newmarket supplies specialist
:01:48. > :01:50.products for life scientists working in the laboratory.
:01:51. > :01:54.AstraZeneca is a big customer and so is Pfizer.
:01:55. > :01:57.When it shut a research and development centre two years
:01:58. > :02:11.There are many companies doing similar business in the area.
:02:12. > :02:14.It's essential for research to continue
:02:15. > :02:23.Unless you're a scientist who receives our products,
:02:24. > :02:27.you would be unaware of the volume being shipped in all the time.
:02:28. > :02:31.And that's increasingly important for a region
:02:32. > :02:36.which traditionally relied on things such as agriculture.
:02:37. > :02:41.For West Suffolk we have companies with a workforce of 3,000.
:02:42. > :02:50.We will all benefit from that type of business.
:02:51. > :02:56.So a lot hangs on the proposed takeover.
:02:57. > :02:59.It said today it was impressed by research work in Cambridge.
:03:00. > :03:03.It also admitted, under a merger, there would be job cuts.
:03:04. > :03:11.We will put the best of minds together.
:03:12. > :03:34.AstraZeneca is building a ?300 million research campaign and it
:03:35. > :03:43.said it was committed to the city. We are not going to spend all this
:03:44. > :03:45.money and then reduce the headcount. Back there, they are watching
:03:46. > :03:49.developments closely. So what can we learn
:03:50. > :03:52.from previous mega mergers? 13 years ago,
:03:53. > :03:53.the pharmaceutical companies Glaxo Wellcome and Smith Kline
:03:54. > :03:56.Beecham joined forces to become the But after just a few years,
:03:57. > :04:02.one major site was closed. This from our business
:04:03. > :04:09.correspondent Richard Bond. The east of England is home to what
:04:10. > :04:13.is arguably Europe's most important It boasts more than 250 companies,
:04:14. > :04:18.100 medical firms It's all within a bio`tech,
:04:19. > :04:27.golden triangle, between London, The jewel in the crown would be
:04:28. > :04:32.the new AstraZeneca research and development centre in Cambridge,
:04:33. > :04:37.due to open in 2016. But there's an equally
:04:38. > :04:40.important jewel in Stevenage. It has the job of developing
:04:41. > :04:50.the drugs pipeline of Britain's But behind it is a story
:04:51. > :04:56.which illustrates the perils of 13 years ago, Glaxo merged
:04:57. > :05:03.with SmithKline Beecham. Glaxo had a major research centre
:05:04. > :05:06.in Harlow but after a few years the largest part was closed,
:05:07. > :05:13.with the loss of 380 jobs. It shows how difficult it is,
:05:14. > :05:23.even with a national merger. It's difficult to make
:05:24. > :05:27.commitments in advance. If circumstances call for job cuts,
:05:28. > :05:35.it's often Has Harlow's science
:05:36. > :05:39.base recovered since? Nobody's replaced GSK,
:05:40. > :05:46.but as one of the enterprises, we're trying hard to entice
:05:47. > :05:51.companies to relocate here. We're hoping they'll
:05:52. > :05:56.eventually be replaced. Harlow still bears the scars
:05:57. > :05:59.of a drugs merger. This flagship building
:06:00. > :06:03.remains empty. As Pfizer's battle for AstraZeneca
:06:04. > :06:06.hots up, Cambridge will be hoping to The MP for Mid`Norfolk, George
:06:07. > :06:16.Freeman, is also the government's Earlier today he told me why he
:06:17. > :06:21.believes what happens with AstraZeneca is important to
:06:22. > :06:25.the whole region. Our region is becoming
:06:26. > :06:29.a global centre of 21st century That's great news for us all,
:06:30. > :06:37.not just Cambridge. Once we dual the A11 and get the
:06:38. > :06:40.Cambridge`Norwich railway going, link up to the Norwich Research
:06:41. > :06:44.Park, there is a huge opportunity It's devices, diagnostics,
:06:45. > :06:50.manufacturing... Drawing
:06:51. > :06:54.on our old manufacturing heritage. The issue here is that these
:06:55. > :07:00.companies in the pharmacy sector It's a commercial
:07:01. > :07:05.negotiation between them. I think the issue for us in
:07:06. > :07:10.government and parliament is whether Pfizer are going to be committing to
:07:11. > :07:15.this region, and research in the UK? If they are, I think we can be quite
:07:16. > :07:19.relaxed about who owns the company. AstraZeneca itself is already
:07:20. > :07:22.a global, multi`national business. The issue is their commitment to
:07:23. > :07:26.the UK. What they're buying, actually,
:07:27. > :07:32.is the skill of the people here. These worries that they may take
:07:33. > :07:35.jobs from Cambridge, Pfizer does have a track record
:07:36. > :07:42.in a number of the acquisitions of closing down and making a lot
:07:43. > :07:45.of savings. The Prime Minister is stressing
:07:46. > :07:52.that ministers want reassurance. That Pfizer are buying AstraZeneca
:07:53. > :07:55.for the right reasons. They're buying because
:07:56. > :07:58.of their commitment to this new model of 21st century medicine
:07:59. > :08:01.design ` embedding in the hospitals, AstraZeneca?s announcement last year
:08:02. > :08:06.electrified the global pharmaceutical sector
:08:07. > :08:11.and other companies are likely to Provided Pfizer are committed,
:08:12. > :08:17.I've been suggesting we ought to sit down with them and flesh out a five
:08:18. > :08:20.to ten year research agreement. Let's think
:08:21. > :08:23.about how we can help them. If they're investing
:08:24. > :08:27.for our patients, that's good. If they're proposing to close
:08:28. > :08:31.and move out, that's not. Our political correspondent
:08:32. > :08:39.Andrew Sinclair is What's at stake here
:08:40. > :08:55.for the region as a whole? This is more than just a story about
:08:56. > :08:57.Cambridge. The whole success of British economic policy is based on
:08:58. > :09:03.the success of the so`called knowledge economy. We will never be
:09:04. > :09:11.able to compete with the likes of China or India. But we are good at
:09:12. > :09:16.science and innovation. The last Labour government policy has been
:09:17. > :09:27.trying to do as much as possible to encourage innovation and this
:09:28. > :09:30.region. If some of the AstraZeneca work starts to go overseas and other
:09:31. > :09:38.companies might decide to do the same. That would be bad not just for
:09:39. > :09:46.the country but for the region. It was mentioned the up the possibility
:09:47. > :09:52.of a deal... How realistic is that? That has been a lot of talk. It has
:09:53. > :09:57.not got anywhere. This is in its early stages. We cannot give
:09:58. > :10:00.guarantees. No commercial farm with shareholders will want to mock
:10:01. > :10:05.itself into a long`term deal with the government. Thank you.
:10:06. > :10:08.Detectives in Great Yarmouth have until 8pm tonight to interview three
:10:09. > :10:12.teenagers who were arrested after a murder in Hemsby at the weekend.
:10:13. > :10:16.20`year`old Connor Barrett was stabbed to death at
:10:17. > :10:20.Today, the police said there had been an "encouraging"
:10:21. > :10:26.A college in Norfolk has been accused of running a "postcode
:10:27. > :10:28.lottery" to attract students from outside its catchment area.
:10:29. > :10:32.Paston Sixth Form College in North Walsham has been offering subsidies
:10:33. > :10:36.for bus travel worth hundreds of pounds to students who live further
:10:37. > :10:41.away, while students who live closer to the college miss out.
:10:42. > :10:44.17`year`old Yasmin, studying drama and theatre
:10:45. > :10:48.at college, is about to leave home in the village of Gimingham.
:10:49. > :10:51.The family can't afford the county's ?463 annual bus pass,
:10:52. > :10:56.so they choose to pay ?2.80 a day for the eight mile return journey.
:10:57. > :10:58.They're unhappy some students from places
:10:59. > :11:02.like Sheringham have been having all of their travel costs met.
:11:03. > :11:05.Local people should have the same as everybody else.
:11:06. > :11:08.If they're funding transport for some people, they should be
:11:09. > :11:18.We've got to pay that money where other people don't.
:11:19. > :11:23.We're the same people, going to the same college.
:11:24. > :11:25.It shouldn't matter where we're from, and it's really unfair
:11:26. > :11:29.for people in the younger years, having to stay on for college.
:11:30. > :11:34.18`year`old Chloe, also studying drama, lives nearby
:11:35. > :11:39.and has to travel by train to North Walsham because there are no buses.
:11:40. > :11:46.I pay ?4.40 for a return ticket every morning.
:11:47. > :11:55.If we're at college for 40 weeks a year, that's ?1,000 for the year.
:11:56. > :12:01.Norfolk County Council says it has no direct control over what
:12:02. > :12:14.The college says a small number of students received a complete
:12:15. > :12:17.subsidy for bus travel, and others with more difficult journeys
:12:18. > :12:22.It says it's anxious to help students willing to travel
:12:23. > :12:26.But the issue has been reviewed and a new policy will be introduced
:12:27. > :12:45.A five day weather forecast to make you smile.
:12:46. > :12:55.Plus a war`time floral tribute, inspired by the fields of Flanders.
:12:56. > :12:58.The government has dropped its strongest hint yet that it is
:12:59. > :13:01.taking steps towards upgrading one of the region's busiest roads.
:13:02. > :13:04.Campaigners welcomed comments at a Parliamentary debate,
:13:05. > :13:08.which could pave the way for dualling of the A47.
:13:09. > :13:11.The road runs from Great Yarmouth through Norfolk and Cambridgeshire
:13:12. > :13:14.to Peterborough and the Midlands, but less than half is dual
:13:15. > :13:20.Today, local MPs raised the state of the road in Parliament and said
:13:21. > :13:23.unless it is improved drivers and businesses will continue to
:13:24. > :13:44.If ministers had an open cheque`book, perhaps the entire
:13:45. > :13:49.stretch of the A47 would be drilled. Realistically, it is not going to
:13:50. > :13:56.happen. That said, the government did these local MPs and said that if
:13:57. > :13:57.you come back in the autumn I made sure you something that will make
:13:58. > :13:59.you smile. For Dennis, an upgrade to the A47
:14:00. > :14:02.can't come soon enough. It would save us a good 30,
:14:03. > :14:06.45 minutes just to get to the A1. His boss runs 23 lorries
:14:07. > :14:10.from his base near King's Lynn. A dual carriageway would improve
:14:11. > :14:13.fuel economy On single carriageway,
:14:14. > :14:19.our trucks stick to 40mph, It would improve times
:14:20. > :14:28.and efficiency. An all too familiar sight,
:14:29. > :14:30.the sheer weight And so today, local MPs queued up
:14:31. > :14:36.like cars to echo what local An upgrade to this
:14:37. > :14:42.over`crowded road. I suggest that he does make sure he
:14:43. > :14:49.gets it in place for the We will have completed stage two
:14:50. > :14:55.by the end of July and will be ready to make announcements by the end
:14:56. > :15:00.of the Autumn Statement. Campaigners say
:15:01. > :15:04.the improvements would, within 20 years, generate 10,000 new
:15:05. > :15:08.jobs and increase economic output From an economic perspective
:15:09. > :15:21.that really is quite expensive. The best we can hope
:15:22. > :15:26.for is a section between King's Lynn And perhaps reassure
:15:27. > :15:31.safety campaigners. In Norfolk alone last month,
:15:32. > :15:34.there was one death and five You do get instances, approaching
:15:35. > :15:41.the end of the dual carriageway, When it goes to single,
:15:42. > :15:51.there can be collisions. It's ended up with
:15:52. > :16:04.fatal consequences. The chancellor outlined in the
:16:05. > :16:11.Autumn Statement how much he would pay towards the day of the road. It
:16:12. > :16:12.will come just six months before a general election. The money is not
:16:13. > :16:16.on the table yet. A week tomorrow, people
:16:17. > :16:19.from all over Europe will be casting Those MEPs will represent half
:16:20. > :16:26.a billion people. In our region,
:16:27. > :16:28.the electorate will include thousands of migrant workers,
:16:29. > :16:31.living and paying their way here. vote in the regional poll,
:16:32. > :16:35.or cast their vote at home. Today, we spoke to members of
:16:36. > :16:39.the Polish community in Peterborough Joanna has been here
:16:40. > :16:50.for seven years. Britain has given her
:16:51. > :16:57.opportunities Poland never could. One reason why
:16:58. > :17:02.our Euro MPs will get her vote. I think I will vote for the British
:17:03. > :17:05.list. I've lived here for so many years
:17:06. > :17:11.and local matters are more important All EU citizens have the right to
:17:12. > :17:18.vote, either in the country they came from, or where they live now,
:17:19. > :17:22.making potentially rich pickings Figures show that
:17:23. > :17:28.across Peterborough more than 125,000 people can vote
:17:29. > :17:31.in the European elections. More than 10,000 have moved here
:17:32. > :17:37.from another European country. But half of those said that rather
:17:38. > :17:41.than vote in their own country, they At Peterborough's Polish
:17:42. > :17:48.ex`servicemen's club, a veteran who settled here after
:17:49. > :17:51.the Second World War says it's vital Isn't it better to achieve
:17:52. > :18:06.the goal of unity? Instead of on the end of a bomb,
:18:07. > :18:15.or by killing people? But as the election draws closer,
:18:16. > :18:18.some of the anti`European rhetoric I can't imagine someone would ask me
:18:19. > :18:31.to leave the country I can't imagine I could be sent back
:18:32. > :18:38.to Poland because I couldn't find myself
:18:39. > :18:47.in the country I used to live! A snapshot of the region's tourism
:18:48. > :18:50.industry has revealed the highest The latest quarterly report covering
:18:51. > :18:55.Suffolk and Norfolk shows that firms are reporting more visits to
:18:56. > :18:57.the region, compared to And bookings for the early summer
:18:58. > :19:03.are already well up on last year. And all of that means growing
:19:04. > :19:06.confidence in an industry, which pumps about ?7 billion into the
:19:07. > :19:11.economy of this region every year. If you're looking
:19:12. > :19:18.for reasons why this region is such a target for tourism,
:19:19. > :19:21.look no further than Lavenham in Suffolk ` recently ranked in the
:19:22. > :19:25.top 20 places in the UK to visit. This is Shilling Grange `
:19:26. > :19:30.where 'Twinkle, Twinkle, The owner has just started a new B
:19:31. > :19:42.here with his wife. All of our guests come here
:19:43. > :19:44.and spend money, If you keep the village alive,
:19:45. > :19:48.more people come back. It's a ball that's rolling all
:19:49. > :19:55.the time. 70 miles away on the coast,
:19:56. > :19:58.the holiday giant Warner Leisure Hotels has invested heavily
:19:59. > :20:04.in this complex for the over 50s. A large percentage come back for a
:20:05. > :20:11.second time so we know they like it. Last year we invested ?2.6
:20:12. > :20:15.million and we want to invest The feel good factor isn't
:20:16. > :20:23.restricted to just a few. The industry is seeing
:20:24. > :20:36.an improvement in positivity. An increase in customer numbers
:20:37. > :20:44.and spend. Tourism is worth over ?7
:20:45. > :20:49.billion to East Anglia. In cycling, the spectacle of
:20:50. > :20:57.the women's tour gave this region publicity and the BBC programme
:20:58. > :21:04.Spring Watch should do the same. There is momentum, but to sustain
:21:05. > :21:08.it, we need more investment Think of the First World War and one
:21:09. > :21:22.symbol springs to mind ` the poppy. A wild flower,
:21:23. > :21:25.it grew in Flanders amidst Now a nursery in Norfolk has used
:21:26. > :21:30.those same wild flowers to help the people of Guernsey mark
:21:31. > :21:33.the centenary of the war. They have sent hundreds
:21:34. > :21:36.of plants to the Channel Islands for a special display called
:21:37. > :21:43.the Flowers of Flanders. Linda is passionate
:21:44. > :21:45.about wild flowers. Her company grows two
:21:46. > :21:49.million every year. She was given a brief `
:21:50. > :21:52.go to Flanders, find the wild flowers of the trenches, grow them
:21:53. > :21:56.and then send them to Guernsey for We've got daisies
:21:57. > :22:03.which are flowering all over We also had others flowering
:22:04. > :22:16.everywhere, and the poppy. Linda's flowers have found a home
:22:17. > :22:19.in St Peter Port, The display was unveiled at the
:22:20. > :22:27.weekend by the island's governor, in memory of the 2,000 Guernseymen
:22:28. > :22:31.who fought on the Western Front. There are buttercups, daisies,
:22:32. > :22:36.thrift and many more. One of the plants we took,
:22:37. > :22:40.Heartsease, Its name suggests it was
:22:41. > :22:49.meant to heal a broken heart. They would have it in posies
:22:50. > :22:53.and grow it in the gardens. Lots of broken hearts
:22:54. > :22:57.during the wars! Numbers
:22:58. > :23:02.of wild flowers are declining. Linda wants her passion to
:23:03. > :23:05.be shared by everyone. You need the plants to have
:23:06. > :23:12.the insects and the birds. It's important that they do know,
:23:13. > :23:14.otherwise they'll grow up Linda's Guernsey displays aren't
:23:15. > :23:21.at their best just yet, A colourful reminder
:23:22. > :23:53.of the flowers of Flanders. This is a beautiful scene. Thank you
:23:54. > :24:07.for the photograph. It was a chilly start to the day. There was a swing
:24:08. > :24:16.in temperatures. 18 Celsius. It is going to continue to warm up during
:24:17. > :24:20.the week. At some point this week, five Freddy, it will look like some
:24:21. > :24:30.places will record highs of 23 Celsius. The cloud should milk away.
:24:31. > :24:39.Some chilly temperatures and poisons. Down to 67 Celsius. The
:24:40. > :24:48.temperatures are not expected to go quite as more as last night. It is
:24:49. > :24:52.looking like a warm and bright day. There will be a bit more close
:24:53. > :25:02.around, but enjoy the sunshine in the morning. The cloud will tend to
:25:03. > :25:11.build`up. When we get the sunshine in the morning it will make things
:25:12. > :25:18.warm up quickly. 17 or 18 degrees. In the afternoon at staying dry and
:25:19. > :25:25.warm. It will be a cloudy. Towards the end of the week there is high
:25:26. > :25:33.pressure. It might something is a little cloudy. But it should not
:25:34. > :25:41.spoil the weekend. Before then, someone temperatures. A bit of close
:25:42. > :25:47.building on the afternoon on Saturday. It should be later in the
:25:48. > :25:53.day. Increasing amounts of cloud for Sunday but 31. That sounds lovely.
:25:54. > :26:22.See you tomorrow. Europe. A community of nations
:26:23. > :26:27.which can do no wrong. A perfect brotherhood
:26:28. > :26:30.in which we all share. the benefits are obvious to
:26:31. > :26:35.being in... Hampering a British recovery
:26:36. > :26:42.and harping on about climate change. It's time to get out,
:26:43. > :26:46.it's time to get... It's almost 20 years
:26:47. > :26:50.since we won Eurovision,