London stocks sink as new coronavirus strain shuts UK

UK BLUE-CHIP stocks fell to a near three-week low on Monday as a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus prompted tougher restrictions, while a fresh ban on travellers from Britain hammered airline and oil stocks.

The FTSE 100 touched its lowest since Dec. 2 in early trading, but clawed back some of its losses to trade down 1.2% as the pound's 2% drop limited a fall in the exporter-heavy index.