Entrepreneur Gerald Ratner’s interest in buying the Ernest Jones and H Samuel jewellery businesses was under pressure from a familiar quarter today.

High street chain Boots led the FTSE 100 Index closer to the key 5000 barrier today as takeover talk gave the retailer a much-needed boost.

The FTSE-100 Index failed to break through the 6,000 barrier today, as a strong start by blue-chip stocks petered out during the session.