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Britain's FTSE 100 falls as U.S. uncertainty weighs

Reuters - UK Focus

(For a live blog on European stocks, type LIVE/ in an Eikon news window)

* FTSE 100 down 0.7 pct

* FTSE 250 dips 0.5 pct

* International consumer stocks drop

* Mid-cap Playtech (Frankfurt: A1J0S4 - news) falls on profit warning

Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 24 (Reuters) - UK shares opened lower on Monday, as multinational stocks tumbled on reports U.S. President Donald Trump privately discussed firing the head of the Federal Reserve and a partial U.S. government shutdown weighed on investor sentiment.

The FTSE 100 was down 0.8 percent and the mid-cap index was 0.5 percent lower by 0828 GMT. The bourses were due to close early ahead of Christmas.

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Dragging down the UK's main index were companies that have a greater international presence, with Imperial Brands (LSE: IMB.L - news) dropping over 3 percent and British American Tobacco (Kuala Lumpur: 4162.KL - news) 1.8 percent lower.

Diageo (LSE: DGE.L - news) , the world's biggest drinks marker, and consumer goods giant Unilever (NYSE: UL - news) were down 1.6 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.

All constituents in the consumer sector were in the red in early deals on the blue-chip index.

WPP (Frankfurt: A1J2BZ - news) , the world's largest advertising firm, fell nearly 3 percent to the bottom of the blue-chip index.

Most global markets were hit following reports that Trump discussed firing Fed chair Jerome Powell, a move that would likely further rile financial markets.

That added to pre-existing nerves over political stability in the world's largest economy after a partial federal government shutdown as Democrats rejected Trump's demand for more funds for a wall on the border with Mexico.

Among the UK mid-caps, gambling software company Playtech slid 6.3 percent to its lowest in over six years after flagging that a change in Italian gambling tax law would hit its 2019 core earnings.

Oil heavyweights Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) and BP managed to eke out some gains as crude prices rose on signs the recent price plunge may start crimping supply from the United (Shenzhen: 000925.SZ - news) States.

Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital was flat on its first trading day on the London Stock Exchange (Other OTC: LDNXF - news) 's main market.

(Reporting by Muvija M and Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter)