MARKET REPORT

LONDON’S premier index pushed to a record high yesterday and the pound sunk after a shock poll showed the Conservatives’ lead was slipping ahead of the General Election.

The FTSE 100 Index hit a mid-session record of 7,554.21, before rising 29.92 points to close at an all-time high of 7,547.63.

The pound dropped to a two-month low against the euro, slipping 0.9% to 1.143, after Theresa May’s advantage over Labour narrowed to just five points in the first opinion poll since Monday night’s suicide bomb attack in Manchester.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 Index were Informa up 38p to 688.5p, Johnson Matthey up 80p to 3,175p, Rolls-Royce Holdings up 21.5p to 873p, British American Tobacco up 96p to 5,591p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 Index were Lloyds Banking Group down 1.4p to 71.74p, Shire down 86.5p to 4,651.5p, United Utilities Group down 19p to 1,035p, Royal Bank of Scotland down 4.4p to 261.6p.