Shares in London and other European markets fell on worries over whether Greece’s parliament would back the latest eurozone bailout deal.
In lunchtime trade, the FTSE 100 was down 20.01 points at 6,717.94.
France’s Cac 40 fell 6.51 points to 4,991.59 while Germany’s Dax was 51.75 points lower at 11,432.63.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney said on Tuesday that the proposed eurozone deal would require “Herculean efforts from all sides”.
Speaking to the UK Parliament’s Treasury Committee, he also said that the point at which UK interest rates may begin to rise was “moving closer”.
His comments boosted the value of sterling. The pound rose 0.6% against the dollar to $1.5576, and was 0.4% higher against the euro at €1.4132.
However, the prospect of higher interest rates hit shares in housebuilders. Taylor Wimpey fell 3.1% and Barratt Developments dropped 2.5%.
Top gainer on the FTSE 100 was Sky, which rose 3.2% after Deutsche Bank upgraded its rating on the stock to “buy”.
