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It was 0.5 per cent lower by 12:14 BST, Reuters reports, putting it on 5,589.19 points.
An early rally from mining companies came to a halt as investors moved away from riskier stocks, resulting in Antofagasta, Vedanta Resources, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto dropping by between 1.4 per cent and 2.4 per cent.
And banks were also down, led by Barclay, which fell after aspects of its first-quarter trading update disappointed investors.
It lost 5.5 per cent, while HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland all retreated by as much as 2.2 per cent.
There were gains for many oil companies thanks to strong earnings results, however BP dropped 1.4 per cent due to the continued worries over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the US, futures suggest shares on Wall Street will open flat, after figures revealed economic growth in the country was slower than expected during the first quarter.
Posted by Chris Weaver
