War drums for Iraq war boosts oil market

ENERGY giants BP and Shell bolstered the London market yesterday after crude oil prices jumped to an 11-month high.

US vice president Dick Cheney's strongest signal yet that the US is determined to topple Saddam Hussein helped Brent crude prices to levels not seen since the aftermath of September 11.

BP gained nearly 3%, or 15p to 543p, and Shell lifted 2%, or 9p to 460p, as the FTSE 100 Index closed 59.9 points ahead at 4449.7.