British stocks rose on Thursday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index up by 0.33 percent, or 24.41 points, to close at 7,407.06 points.

Provident Financial, a British sub-prime lender , soared 13.16 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips. CRH and WPP increased by 3.83 percent and 2.96 percent respectively.

British low-cost airline easyJet was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 4.41 percent. Whitbread, a multinational hotel,coffee shop and restaurant company, dropped 2.60 percent. Marks & Spencer Group, one of Britain's leading retailers, fell 1.92 percent.