The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.3% by 0818 GMT, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 was flat.

The pharmaceutical sector rose 4.2%, largely due to an 11.8% jump in GSK Plc after it was spared thousands of U.S. lawsuits claiming that Zantac caused cancer.

The real estate sector fell 0.3%, with mortgage lender Halifax saying house prices saw the biggest monthly drop since October 2008.

Mitchells & Butlers Plc soared 10.5% after the pub and restaurant group posted a 53% jump in annual profit as it said recent sales in the new fiscal year were encouraging.

Moonpig was among the laggards, tumbling 13.7 after the greeting card company cut its annual sales forecast as orders were hit by postal strikes at Royal Mail.

(Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)