Pound soars as court demands parly Brexit vote

The pound jumped against the dollar and euro Thursday after the High Court in London ruled that parliament must approve the start of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

Sterling - which has tumbled to multi-year low points against its main rivals since Britain voted June 23 for Brexit - surged above $1.24.

However the pound's big jump weighed on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index which has won strong support since the referendum outcome as the weak currency benefited exporters. It closed down 0.8 percent.