U.K. stocks were slightly higher on Monday after Chinese GDP data fell short of market expectations, but improved industrial output and retail sales figures suggested that the world's second-largest economy is marching toward normalization.
Brexit trade talks and U.S. stimulus negotiations also remained on investors' radar. The benchmark FTSE 100 edged up 8 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,927 after gaining 1.5 percent on Friday.
G4S shares were down 0.6 percent. The security company has urged its shareholders to reject Canadian rival GardaWorld's hostile takeover offer, saying the offer is "highly opportunistic" and continues to significantly undervalue the company.
AstraZeneca rose half a percent after the European medicines watchdog recommended approving the company's treatments for a form of heart failure and a lung disorder.
John Laing Group rose over 1 percent. The infrastructure investor has agreed to sell its portfolio of Australian wind farm assets to First Sentier Investors for a total consideration of approximately 157 million pounds.
Online fashion group Boohoo plunged 11 percent after its auditor PwC confirmed it was resigning amid reputational concerns.
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