British stocks edged lower on Thursday, with European peers falling more sharply, after a ceasefire-driven rally, as the pound held firm and investor caution persisted amid uncertainty over Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
As of 12:05 GMT, the blue-chip index FTSE 100 fell 0.2% and the British GBP/USD gained 0.1% against the dollar to 1.3423.
DAX index in Germany dropped 0.7%, the CAC 40 in France fell 0.6%.
Track the latest on UK stocks with InvestingPro UK round up Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has called on UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to carry out a broad overhaul of the country’s tax system, stating that simplification is necessary to help revive weak growth momentum. OECD recommended a comprehensive review focused on improving efficiency and making the system more supportive of growth. The organization suggested cutting distortions, tightening loopholes, and phasing out tax breaks and exemptions that lack clear economic or social value.
Separately, UK banks and building societies reported that secured credit availability to households rose in the three months to end-February 2026, according to the Bank of England’s Credit Conditions Survey for Q1 2026 published. Lenders expect this availability to rise further in the three months to end-May 2026. The survey, conducted between February 23 and March 13, showed unsecured credit availability to households remained unchanged in Q1, though lenders anticipate an increase in Q2. Overall corporate credit availability was unchanged in Q1, but lenders reported increases for small, medium and large businesses individually during the same period. British American Tobacco PLC (LON:BATS) announced that Dragos Constantinescu will join the company as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director, effective September 1. Constantinescu currently serves as CEO of Asahi Europe & International and has been with Asahi Breweries since 2019. At Asahi Breweries, he held senior leadership positions across Europe, including Managing Director for Czech, Slovakia, Germany & Austria and Managing Director for Romania & Hungary.
