Insurer Friends Provident said today that an increase in business from independent financial advisers had helped it boost UK sales by a fifth.

Insurer Friends Provident unveiled little changed annual sales figures today but said it was confident of increasing market share over the next two years.

Jitters over the closeness of the US presidential election and high oil prices hampered the London market’s progress today.

Fears that the US election will be decided in the courts rather than the ballot box were helping to undermine confidence among investors today.

London shares struggled to make significant progress today after a profits warning from Morrison’s and last night’s losses on Wall Street.