LONDON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- British stocks increased on Tuesday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index up by 0.21 percent, or 16.39 points, to close at 7,731.83 points.

Barclays, a British airline, soared 5.12 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips. NMC Health and Croda International increased by 2.98 percent and 2.86 percent, respectively.

Fresnillo a Mexican-based precious metals mining company, was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 4.20 percent. Evraz, a multinational vertically integrated steel making and mining company, dropped 3.95 percent. Anglo American, a multinational mining company, fell by 3.86 percent. Enditem