a500 jobs are to go at the uk's biggest car—maker. jaguar land rover blames a slump in demand for diesel vehicles, slower sales in china and brexit uncertainty. well, we exactly have to know how this brexit deal will be orchestrated to be flexible and agile, to work accordingly. jaguar land rover is a major employer in the west midlands — now there are fears over the impact these cuts could have. if they're going to cut down the work, we're going to lose work, so the future doesn't look that good at the moment — for any of us. and tonight another major car—maker, honda, has told its uk workforce it's shutting production in april to deal with brexit. also on the programme: the japanese prime minister warns against a no—deal brexit after talks with theresa may. the worst christmas for a decade for british retailers — we look at the winners and the losers. gathering dust, we go inside the multimillion—pound

state—of—the—art nhs hospital that's been deserted since the collapse of carillion last year. and the duchess of sussex is the new patron of the national theatre, as well as three other charities close to her heart. and coming up on bbc news, it's a tough draw at the australian open for andy murray and the other brits. the first grand slam of the year begins on monday. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the uk's biggest car—maker, jaguar land rover, has confirmed it's cutting 4,500 jobs, most of them in the uk. that's on top of the 1500 that were shed last year. it's blamed the cuts on a slump in demand for diesel cars,

slower sales in china, and uncertainty over brexit. the job losses represent more than 10% of their overall uk workforce. meanwhile, honda has told its uk workforce that it will shut down production for six days in april to deal with brexit logistics and border disruption. more on that in a moment. first, here's our business editor, simonjack, from the west midlands. shift change at jaguar shift change atjaguar land rover on a day of big change for the company, with over 10% of the workforce facing redundancy. what's the mood light inside? it's not the best, i mean, i've been working here for the past four years, and for the past 12 months it hasn't been the best, and we re months it hasn't been the best, and were not too sure about the future here. why do you think it's happened? because of the uncertainty around brexit and diesel, that sort

of thing. this planned in solihull may escape the worst of today's cuts, but it's lost hundreds over the last 12 months, many of them customers of this cafe. it's like a family business, dad work there, grandad, sons. morale is definitely drastically low for everybody. they are all living on a knife edge, they do not know what the next day is going to bring. meanwhile here at jlr's coventry headquarters, where many of the job losses are expected to come, the chief executive explained why he was making so many redundancies. at the moment, the automotive industry but also jaguar land rover are facing unprecedented disruption in the geopolitical area but quite clearly in the regulatory area, and in addition, simultaneously, huge challenges resulting out of the new technologies for smarter mobility. we have to work to create a higher

productivity, higher efficiency to be more competitive. now, listen to this. that is the sound of the best pa rt this. that is the sound of the best part of a decade of engineering success. part of a decade of engineering success. diesel powered, made in the uk sells like hot cakes in china, but all those things are changing, it is the sound of the past. this will likely be electric in the future. for the first time in 20 yea rs, sales of future. for the first time in 20 years, sales of cars in china have declined last year, and this car would be made in slovakia. today's big job losses are on top of cuts made last year. in solihull, 1000 agency workers were laid off. in merseyside, 180 agency staff cut, while castle bromwich1000 employees we re while castle bromwich1000 employees were put on a three—day week, albeit on full pay. meanwhile, jaguar has been increasing headcount elsewhere in the world, 4000 workers have been hired in china since 2014, and most recently it opened a brand—new plant in slovakia with plans to hire 3000

workers. the company is moving away from traditional engines and said it would based its electric motor and battery design here in the uk. the investment announced today in electric motors and batteries in the midlands is the first sign of them transforming their company in the uk towards electric car production. i expect them to make jaguar and all electric competitor to tesla in the future, for example, that is the direction of travel. as if to prove the point that the car will desert a majorjunction, ford the point that the car will desert a major junction, ford announced the point that the car will desert a majorjunction, ford announced it would be consulting its european workforce on a major restructuring which could result in thousands of job losses — how many in the uk is unknown. jlr's strengths in china and diesel are currently its weaknesses. reinventing itself in a hurry will be a tricky and expensive manoeuvre. simon jack, hurry will be a tricky and expensive manoeuvre. simonjack, bbc news. jaguar land rover is a major employer in the west midlands — many local businesses and communities rely on it. so what impact will the job losses have for them? sima kotecha has been finding out. manufacturing is what

they do in the midlands — its economy depends on the sector. here in warwickshire, they make 40,000 metal components forjlr every month. and job losses there are causing nervousness here, because of potential effects to the supply chain. if they're cutting down on important jobs like the design functions and things like that, where is the future of the business going? are they continue to build new models? you know, will they be built locally? will they be built in other areas of the world? but it could have a major effect throughout the whole of the industry, and it's disappointing that it's focused here in the west midlands. jlr is often described as the powerhouse of the west midlands. it's a region that has a rich manufacturing heritage, with companies such asjlr forming the heart of communities. but today's news is bound to create a feelbad factor amongst the young who are planning for their futures here. some students choose to go to coventry university

because of its close ties tojlr. when you see on the news thatjobs are going and places are laying people off, it's always worrying if it's the industry that you're looking at going into. but sort of saying that, the market changes quite quickly, there's a sort of a lot of technology in development, so what's happening now might not be happening in two years' time. so worried but optimistic about the future? yeah, yes. the announcement ofjlr's new assembly centre near birmingham, along with further production at its wolverhampton plant, provides some hope for workers, but that's little consolation for those affected by today's proposed cuts. sima kotecha, bbc news, coventry. let's speak to our business editor, simonjack, who's outside the jaguar land rover headquarters in coventry. a lot ofjobs going, is there a feeling that this is as bad as it gets, or could there be more to

come? well, i put that to the chief executive here today and said, listen, is that it for the pain, or is more going to come? and he would not guarantee there would not be furtherjob cuts, he said, listen, we are at a moment, a juncture where we are at a moment, a juncture where we are at a moment, a juncture where we are transforming to electric, diesel, there is a lot of confusion over it, and if you add that on top of the uncertainty surrounding brexit, and he has been one of the most vocal of any manufacturers about the potential hazards that a no—deal brexit could bring about, as if to prove that point, we heard from honda today that they will be shutting their plant for six days to coincide with the day we are meant to leave the european union, in case there are any disruptions at the ports and they can still prepare for them. but make no mistake, a lot of these changes would be happening whether brexit was on the cards or not, and they are trying to reinvent themselves, but if you were going to be an electric first brand up against the teslas, you would not start from the position that jaguar

land rover is starting from, so they have got unlawfully long way to go, and asi have got unlawfully long way to go, and as i say, there could be further bumps in the road, sophie. the japanese prime minister shinzo abe has told theresa may that the whole world wants britain to avoid leaving the european union without a deal. he was speaking after a meeting with the prime minister at downing street this afternoon. as mps resume their debate on theresa may's brexit deal, there are signs that the government's considering ways of making it more appealing to leave—supporting labour mps. 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, has the latest. drums and brass in the air, is the faint sound of compromise echoing there too? the prime minister going through the ceremonials with the japanese leader — she needs help desperately, from any quarter she can get. i believe it is in the national interest because it is a good deal, and therefore i hope it

will get wide support across the whole of parliament. right on cue, the whole world wants to avoid a no—deal brexit, he said. the tory teamwork has gone badly wrong. right now, the prime minister stands to lose the vote on her brexit deal because dozens on her own sides say it's not good enough. telling the captain she's got the tactics all wrong. learning how to work as a team... but number ten is maybe belatedly talking to more than just foreign leaders. the prime minister chatting to labour mps and trade union leaders, promising extra protections for workers and the environment after brexit. the impression i got was that people coming with positive agendas would be listened to. if there is huge progress on these other issues, you know, there could be a tipping point where we say, well, actually, we got everything that we want, our red lines are all met. if that is the case, the deal is an acceptable

deal. so we come back here? 0k. case, the deal is an acceptable deal. so we come back here? ok. but where will he go next? as a whole, labour would be shifted by these talks and tweaks, and jeremy corbyn doesn't want to talk yet about making the deal work. he's pushing for a general election so he could ta ke for a general election so he could take charge and pursue his own version. if the government cannot pass its most important legislation, then there must be a general election at the earliest opportunity. a government that cannot get its business through the house of commons is no government at all. just as labour can't force that on its own, none of the government's compromise so far will shift that many of the posteriors on the green benches in there. but with the threat of no—deal ringing in their yea rs, threat of no—deal ringing in their years, a sprinkling of switches is emerging. i will, with a heavy heart on tuesday, vote for this deal, because no—deal is unconscionable, but i beg colleagues to ask their frontbenchers to work together

across the house in pursuit of something we can all be proud of. right now, mps are on track to kibosh the prime minister's agreement with a heavy defeat. despite talk of small compromises here and there that might peel off a few rebels, but even on tuesday, on the big night, other tweaks could be put forward that would be voted on first. and if parliament agrees them, they could yet change what's on the table a little — or even a lot. things are blew it. it's possible downing street may yet find a way out. but with only five days to go, number ten doesn't have more than a flicker of hope. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. many british retailers had their worst christmas for a decade — according to the british retail consortium. figures out today show marks & spencer and debenhams both had falls in sales over the festive period. but there was better news for tesco, which reported its best christmas since 2009. atjohn lewis, sales were up, but not by enough to guarantee staff's annual bonus. our business correspondent emma simpson reports.

christmas — it now feels like a long time ago. so what did we spend our money on? clothes. skincare products and shoes. aftershaves, skin lotions. food and mince pies! but that wasn't enough for some retailers. debenhams had a dismal christmas, uk sales down 6% over the season, prompting fresh fears about its future. today its chairman resigned after being voted off the board. marks & spencer at poor festive trading too, with a 2% drop in sales. clothing, home and food all down. at b&m, the discount retailer, sales also fell over the quarter. written‘s biggest retailer did better, sales are bobo more than 196 did better, sales are bobo more than 1% at tesco, and a similar story at

john lewis, they too enjoyed a bit of growth. but profits are under pressure — it won't today it might have to suspend its staff bonus for the first time in more than 60 yea rs. the first time in more than 60 years. what we have said very clearly is because of the steps we have taken, we have got a strong financial position, we can afford to pay a bonus. the question is, is it prudent to do so, and that is a judgment about what is coming and the uncertainty in the market, and this year there is quite a lot of that. so why has christmas been soaked up for retailers? well, all that discounting, for a start. —— been soaked up. got some bargains, everything was in the sale before christmas. that is not good for profit margins, and online is another challenge. peoplejust aren't buying in shops like they used to, they are increasingly browsing and buying online instead. that is after scouring around for the cheapest price. and caution is the cheapest price. and caution is the watchword among shoppers.|j

the cheapest price. and caution is the watchword among shoppers. i was a bit careful, there is not a lot of money going round, is there? and there is plenty of other things to spend our money on. it isn'tjust one retailer versus another, it is the experience economy, all of the choice the consumer has to spend with a limited amount of money on where they find the best value for them and their families. for retail, overall, there has been littlejoy this christmas, capping a difficult year, and 2019 could be even tougher. emma simpson, bbc news, liverpool. the time is quarter past six. our top story this evening... 4,500 jobs are to go at jaguar land rover, the uk's biggest car—maker. still to come, after a five—year wait it's all smiles for this double—hand transplant patient. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, from premier league stalwarts to the doldrums of the championship — we look at the task ahead for new stoke city manager nathan jones, as he starts his newjob. it's almost a year since

the collapse of carillion — the building and services group which built up debts of more than £1.5 billion. one of its most high—profile projects was this, a new hospital in liverpool. it was almost complete when building work stopped, leaving the multi million pound project stranded. the bbc documentary series hospital was given access to the deserted building, full of state of the art technology that's just been gathering dust. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. these are the conditions that patients and staff at the royal liverpool hospital are having to cope with — a flood in a&e, the tenth in a year. there was a fractured pipe. it was flooding down the lift shafts. from here, all the ground floor where all the clinics, a&e is. it's quite a busy area, a&e, as you can imagine. a building that is way

past its sell—by date. patients like 86—year—old raymond faced delays to operations, much to the frustration of staff. i've been fixed up for the anaesthetic, and then next thing they said there was a delay, and then apparently it's something to do with the suction. amidst all the other problems we're facing, this place is crumbling and we are supposed to be in a new hospital. the terrible irony is right next door there is one, stuffed full of expensive equipment lying idle. a building left unfinished following the collapse of carillion a year ago. a lot of the kit already in place and so on. the bbc two documentary series hospital vividly details an absurd situation following the failure of carillion. at the time we signed the contract in 2013, no one would have predicted what happened to carillion. it has been extremely frustrating. i mean you get a sense of how complete it is and that's why it's been really difficult,

because we were coming round looking at a nearly complete building. then all of a sudden everything came to a halt. the people who are liable for that debt are carillion. while the trust pays out £1 million a year for the upkeep of the old building, the lighting system in the new one can't be turned off, so stays on 24 hours a day. there are over 4,000 taps in the building. and a team of workers are constantly turning those taps on and off to stop bacteria developing. every pipe has a natural amount of legionella in it, so all of those biological organisms can grow, particularly legionella. if left and a patient has ingested that, it can make them quite sick. the trust has now secured government money to finish the new hospital and building work has restarted, but the collapse of carillion has left a real sense of anger in liverpool. these people were taking huge bonuses that they're not paying

back, and leaving the people of liverpool waiting years more for a hospital, so serious questions need to be asked about the way carillion have behaved. that report by dominic hughes, and you can see more on the story on hospital on bbc two tonight at 9pm. the family of a 14—year—old boy who was murdered in east london says he was not linked to any gang. jayden moodie was stabbed to death after being knocked off his moped by a car on tuesday evening. 0ur correspondent adina campbell is in leyton for us. jayden moodie's family have given an emotional tribute in front of the media this evening. the 14—year—old was killed on this road on tuesday night in what police say was a targeted attack. in the lead up to his death he had been riding a moped, he was then involved in a collision with a car and stabbed repeatedly by a group of men, and

later died from his injuries. his death has shocked the community and his family say they are devastated. this clip contains flash photography. i would like to stress to jayden had recently moved from london to nottingham and had no affiliation with gangs. focus needs to be on the fact that he has been brutally murdered in cold blood and deserves a fair chance ofjustice, as much as anyone else in this situation. it is 48-hour since the teenager was killed. police are yet to make any arrests. last night they recovered the car they believe was involved in the lead up to his death but that is little comfort for jayden moodie's family who say he was totally and viciously murdered in cold blood. thank you. a man who drove his car down a crowded alley and on to a nightclub dance floor has been jailed for 28 years.

mohammed abdul injured people at blake's in gravesend after being humiliated when he was thrown out by bouncers for being too drunk. he was convicted of two counts of attempted murder. his trial was told it was sheer luck that no—one was killed. the funeral of the former leader of the liberal democrats lord ashdown has been held in his home village in somerset. paddy ashdown died last month at the age of 77 after a short battle with cancer. a private service was attended by his family and friends today, and also screened for hundreds of local residents. a woman who lost both her hands and her feet after suffering from acute pneumonia and sepsis has successfully undergone a rare double hand transplant. corinne hutton, who's 47, had been waiting five years for limbs that were a match for her size, blood group and skin tone. the 12—hour procedure was carried out by surgeons at leeds general infirmary. lorna gordon has more. corinne hutton, awake in hospital, and relieved and thankful after 12 hours of surgery for a double hand transplant. i've got hands and i'm so excited.

they‘ re absolutely brilliant and they look amazing. i'm so thrilled. thanks to the team. i've got fingers and they can move. i have managed to move them as well. i shouldn't be doing that but they have already moved and it's just absolutely incredible they can do that. the 47—year—old lost her hands and feet five years ago after nearly dying from pneumonia and sepsis. she set up a charity supporting others who have also lost limbs. climbing mountains, abseiling, skiing — she has been determined her condition never get in the way. her next challenge now lies much closer to home. she wants to hold her wee boy's hand. it's simple things as a mother. she wants to hold his hand again. she wants to sort his hair with her fingers rather than with a stump. hand transplants have only been performed six times in the uk. for corinne hutton, these are still early days.

the charity ms hutton founded said the individual whose hands she received and their family had changed the lives of many. they promised corinne will not waste a moment with their gift. lorna gordon, bbc news. the duchess of sussex has been named as the patron of the national theatre, as well as three other charities, all causes she has had an interest in for a long time. the move is an important milestone for the american—born former actress, as she takes the first steps in public life as a member of the royal family. here's our royal correspondent, sarah campbell. whatever you feel more comfortable in, but i did love the pop of that coat. customers are no cameras, this charity says the duchess of sussex always gets stuck in. it's a simple idea. smart works provides outfits and interview coaching to help women back into work. meghan has been here several times over the past year

and is now their patron. she's a natural champion for what we're doing, we're delighted to have her involved. what we're all about at smart works is women helping other women be the best they can be, and that is something that i think she connects with and certainly that we feel is really exciting. it has been a whirlwind yearfor meghan. millions around the world watched her wedding and transformation from tv actress to royal duchess, but away from the media spotlight she was quietly visiting charities and groups working out what she wanted to put her name to. having meghan as patron is the equivalent of winning the lottery. what these organisations need is support and profile, and that's exactly what meghan can offer. she takes over from the queen as patron of the association of commonwealth universities. she has spoken previously about her belief in higher education for all. while progress has been made in many areas across the commonwealth, there is always scope to offer more opportunities to the next generation of young adults.

here she is aged 18, and it's no surprise she will continue to champion the arts now as the royal patron of the national theatre. many of the things she's very passionate about are principles that we hold very close to the centre of what we do at the national theatre, so we expect the relationship will be a very full and thriving one. and staff at this dog and cat shelter in north—west london are delighted animal lover meghan is their new patron. it will be a huge boost for our service users. we will be able to do more, hopefully. it's a huge boost for all the staff, students and volunteers who work here. with her baby due in the spring, meghan already has a busy year ahead, but having her own niche as a working royal is also high on her list of priorities. sarah campbell, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. it looks like there is some warmer

weather. milder, yes, let's not get carried away! that really cold air is getting pushed away into continental europe. this is where our air is coming from, from the atlantic, so it is milderair coming from, from the atlantic, so it is milder air moving southwards. slowly but surely it's bringing with ita slowly but surely it's bringing with it a lot of cloud and it's been a gloomy end to the day across many parts of england and wales, damp and drizzly too. the cloud breaking up across parts of scotland, a sign of things to come perhaps, but a lot of cloud for wales in particular and still some rain and drizzle to come. some breaks coming down from the north on that north—westerly breeze, but sufficient cloud to prevent frost tonight which is good news so three or 4 degrees typically. tomorrow there will be sunshine at times, afair tomorrow there will be sunshine at times, a fair bit of cloud as well and the best of the sunshine down

the eastern side of england, more cloud on the west and some showers coming into the north—west as well. those temperatures 8—10d tomorrow so quite a bit milder than today across the southern half of the uk. as we head into the weekend, we may start with rain across southern england and wales, but more cloud spilling in across northern ireland, northern england and some rain mainly to the north and west of scotland but temperatures continue to creep up. the wind is starting to freshen as well. strengthening winds as the weekend goes on, around the top of that high pressure atlantic air again. this rain sweeping out of the north sea. the weather front moving southwards, and the wind should break up the cloud a bit more. we should see showers pushing down from the north—west, longer of rain likely across many parts of scotland, but sunshine as well and temperatures up to 11, maybe even 12

celsius which is pretty mild for this time of year, and unlike other parts of europe, no snow. thank you. a reminder of our top story: 4,500 jobs are to go at jaguar land rover, the uk's biggest car maker. it blames a slump in demand for diesel vehicles, slower sales in china, and brexit uncertainty. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... the car makerjaguar land rover confirms it is cutting 4500 jobs worldwide — most of them in the uk. falling sales in china, concerns about the future of diesel, and the uncertainty over brexit are all being cited as factors. n0 sound. japan's prime minister — shinzo abe — holds talks with theresa may about

trade opportunities after brexit and says his country supports her eu withdrawal agreement. the only way to avoid no deal is to have a deal and to agree a deal, the deal that is on the table, the deal thatis deal that is on the table, the deal that is the deal that the eu has made clear is the only deal. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn calls for a general election at ‘the earliest opportunity‘ to resolve the brexit crisis. it was the worst christmas in a decade on britain's high streets — confirmed by the latest retail sales figures.