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UK stocks traded higher on Thursday as the government was set to meet to discuss lifting some of the lockdown restrictions over the weekend or by early next week.
At midday the FTSE 100 traded 0.7% higher at 5,893 points, led by insurers, banks and betting firms.
RSA was the largest gainer, adding 5.8% to 391p after it posted better than expected first quarter earnings, with operating earnings up double digit percentages, and said it was performing resiliently so far this quarter.
Fellow insurer Phoenix Group gained 4.4% to 595p, while gambling firm Flutter Entertainment added 3.6% to £96.08 and asset manager Standard Life Aberdeen rose 3.4% to 219p.
InterContinental Hotels nudged 3.5% higher to £35.48 despite warning of a deeper slump in revenue per room in April after occupancy levels dropped to 'historic lows' in March and April.
The FTSE 250 mid-cap index rose 1.4% to 16.198 points with large gains for cinema operator Cineworld, up 9% to 57.5p, electrical retailer Dixons Carphone up 7.7% to 75.5p and building materials firm Grafton Group up 6.4% to 618p.
Morgan Sindall climbed 5.9% to £12.77 as the construction and regeneration group reported that trading and activity has been significantly impacted across all divisions since the first 10 weeks of the year and that it had placed 1,700 employees on furlough.
3i Infrastructure added 3.7% to 262p as it raised its annual dividend after reporting a rise in annual income and return.
On the losing side was telecom giant BT which tumbled 6.5% to 107p after announcing it had scrapped its 2019 and its 2020 dividends.
The company said it would resume payment at a lower rate as it sought to firm up liquidity after reporting a fall in annual profit amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Its share price fall came as Virgin Media and O2 confirmed they are set to merge.
Aerospace engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce slumped 4.2% to 281p after it warned of 'significant disruption' to the civil aerospace industry due to Covid-19, saying it may take 'several years' to recover.
British-airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group fell 4.1% to 189p as it swung to a loss in the first quarter and warned of a further deterioration in performance in the second quarter as the Covid-19 pandemic brought aviation travel to a halt.