Heavyweight energy, bank shares lift London stocks higher

Sept 8 (Reuters) - UK shares nudged higher on Monday, led by heavyweight energy and bank stocks, while losses in consumer staples and healthcare kept gains in check.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 0.2% by 1005 GMT, while the domestically focussed mid-cap index .FTMC added 0.6%.

Boosting the FTSE 100, energy stocks .FTNMX601010 rose 1.3% after crude oil prices gained 1.9%. The prospect of additional sanctions on Russian crude after an overnight strike in Ukraine outweighed OPEC+'s planned output hike. O/R

Oil majors Shell SHEL.L and BP BP.L rose about 1.3% each.

Bank .FTNMX301010 stocks advanced 0.7%, bouncing back following Friday's slide, with top lenders Standard Chartered STAN.L, NatWest NWG.L and Barclays BARC.L among the top performers on the benchmark index.

Precious metal miners .FTNMX551030 advanced tracking higher gold prices. Fresnillo FRES.L rose 1.9%. GOL/

Personal goods .FTNMX402040 rose 2.4% with Burberry BRBY.L up 2.7%.

On the flip side, healthcare stocks .FTNMX201030 declined 0.6%. Heavyweight AstraZeneca AZN.L edged lower 0.6%.

Life insurers index .FTNMX303010 fell 0.7%, weighed down by Phoenix Group PHNX.L that fell 6.2%, to the bottom of the FTSE 100.

The insurer said it would rebrand as Standard Life in March 2026, and reported a larger-than-expected decline in book value driven by market fluctuations.

Beverages .FTNMX451010 lost 1.4%, with spirits maker Diageo DGE.L down 2.2%.

Some consumer staples stocks declined. Unilever ULVR.L fell 1.2%, among the worst performers on the benchmark index.

In other moves, Marks & Spencer MKS.L rose 2.7%, to top the FTSE 100, after Citi upgraded the retailer to "buy" from "neutral".

PRS REIT PRSR.L rose 8.4%, to top the mid-cap index, after the real estate investment trust said U.S. private equity firm KKR KKR.N has joined its formal sale process, but has not made an offer for the company.

Homebuilder Vistry VTYV.L gained 3.2% after signing a joint venture partnership with UK's housing and regeneration agency Homes England to develop community homes.

Meanwhile, surveys showed British employers offered the lowest pay settlements in more than three-and-a-half years in July and hiring continued to slow.

The figures highlight businesses' fears of another round of tax rises in finance minister Rachel Reeves' November 26 budget.

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