Pru surprises with strong first half results; UK 'valuable' part of business

Despite incurring a £377m pre-tax hit as a result of the aborted AIA takeover, the group was also able to increase its interim dividend by 5% to 6.61p per share In the UK, Pru's IFRS operating profit was in line with last year at £330m. Profits from the with-profits business were £7m higher at £154m. Prudential CEO Tidjane Thiam also stressed the UK was a "valuable part of the group's heritage and history" although he acknowledged it had lower potential for growth than other markets such as Asia. After the failed AIA deal, he said the group would now be focused on organic growth ac...