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The index added 50.79 points - or 1.17 per cent - to climb to 4,398.90 points at 13:25 BST, Reuters reports, with shares in Lloyds TSB rising by over five per cent following the news that Victor Blank, the group's current chairman, is to leave his post.
Shares in HSBC, Barclays and Aviva also increased, however it was the Thomas Cook Group that led the rally, surging up 8.72 per cent to 243.25p per share.
Mining firms were among the worst hit over the course of the morning session, with Fresnillo slipping 4.04 per cent to 593.5p per share and Rio Tinto, Randgold Resources and Xstrata all declining.
Earlier today, the FTSEurofirst 300 had also climbed, rising 0.2 per cent in the morning session on the back of strong performances from financial institutions.
