June 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 21 points at 7541, on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* POLL: Prime Minister Theresa May could lose control of parliament in Britain's June 8 election, according to a projection by polling company YouGov, raising the prospect of political turmoil just as formal Brexit talks begin. BARCLAYS: Barclays BARC.L will sell shares worth 1.5 billion pounds ($1.94 billion) in Barclays Africa Group BGAJ.J , the bank said on Wednesday, marking another stage in its exit from the continent to focus more on the United States and Britain. BHP: BHP's BHP.AX BLT.L board is expected to select a new chairman at its June meeting to replace long-serving former Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Co F.N boss Jac Nasser, according to two sources familiar with the matter. RECKITT BENCKISER: The sale of Reckitt Benckiser Group's RB.L North American food business, which could fetch more than $3 billion, has kicked off with information packages going out to industry players, according to sources familiar with the matter. BHP: BHP Billiton BHP.AX , BLT.L said on Thursday it has lifted a declaration of force majeure at its Escondida copper mine in Chile, more than a month after a costly strike came to an end. LONMIN: South Africa-focused platinum producer Lonmin LMI.L is pulling every lever to try to restore confidence in its ailing business, including reopening a major shaft and expanding its biggest operation, its chief executive said. FCA: Britain's markets watchdog - The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) - said it had asked about 20 asset managers and investment firms to spell out how Brexit would affect their ability to continue serving European Union customers. The UK blue chip index ended its strongest month of the year little changed on Wednesday at 7519.95 on a choppy day for sterling, as polls painted a cloudy picture of next week's general election.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY: Johnson Matthey Plc JMAT.L Full-Year
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