Sterling fell after a poll showed a lead for Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives over the opposition Labour Party had narrowed sharply before national elections on June 8.
The pan-European STOXX index was down 0.4 per cent and euro zone blue chips fell by a similar amount, while the export-heavy FTSE was up flat.
The oil & gas index as the biggest faller, down 1.2 per cent after OPEC extended output cuts but disappointed investors betting on longer or larger curbs, while oil prices recovered only part of the heavy slump seen on Thursday.