UPDATE 1-London's FTSE 100 falls as oil majors weigh; voters head to polls

Britain's FTSE 100 dropped on Thursday, ​as losses in oil majors Shell ​and BP and defence firms weighed, while ‌Britons ​headed to the polls in local and regional elections.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 1.6% lower at 10,276.95 points after surging more than ‌2% in the previous session. The midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.2%. * The elections could deal a huge blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party, renewing scepticism about his ability to govern. They could ‌also signal the beginning of the end of Britain's traditional two-party system.

* A recent survey ‌showed that in April, British builders saw one of the biggest month-on-month jumps in cost inflation. * The pound rose against the dollar on hopes that an end to the U.S.-Iran conflict was near, pressuring multinational firms that earn most of ⁠their ​revenue overseas.

* With earnings ⁠season in full swing, markets are assessing consumer demand and any economic impact from the Middle East conflict. * Shares of ⁠oil major Shell dropped 2.9% despite reporting its highest quarterly profit in two years and raising its dividend. Rival ​BP fell 2.6%, as oil's slide below $100 weighed on its stock.

* Shares of BAE ⁠Systems were down 4.7%, among the biggest drags on the FTSE 100, after the defence firm maintained its full-year outlook. * InterContinental Hotels ⁠Group ​rose 1.5% after topping quarterly room revenue estimates as its U.S. business rebounded.

* Autotrader Group gained 4.1% after a source told Reuters that activist investor Palliser Capital had built an up to ⁠2% stake in the company. * Helios Towers jumped 14.3%, lifting the mid-cap index, after the mobile tower ⁠operator raised its ⁠annual profit forecast.

* RELX dropped 6.2% after Morgan Stanley downgraded its rating on the information group to "equal-weight" from "overweight". Shares of the company were also trading ex-dividend on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)