FTSE down 1.3% ahead of "tough" Budget

As of 10.30 UK time, London's leading index was down 1.35%, or 71 points, to 5,227 with commodity stocks and banks losing ground. Miners also suffered, with Fresnillo down 3.5%, Kazakhmys falling 3.16% and BG Group down 2.98%. Barclays is down 3.06% while Lloyds Banking Group and RBS are also lower. Leisure group Whitbread, up 2.71%, is top of the leaderboard after posting a strong performance from its Premier Inn hotel chain. British Airways, up 0.33%, also made gains after agreeing a recovery plan for its ballooning pension deficit. Chancellor George Osborne is expected to un...