UK stocks ease as market awaits Brexit deal update

(Reuters) - London's domestically-focussed mid-cap index shed almost half of the previous session's more than 1% gain in early trade on Wednesday, with investors awaiting confirmation that a Brexit deal is really in the offing.

The FTSE 250 <.FTMC>, which has rallied more than 3% since last week on hopes that Britain could clinch a timely divorce deal, shed 0.5%, with traders eyeing a crunch summit this week after last-ditch talks between London and the European Union.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 <.FTSE> was also marginally lower, with miner Rio Tinto <RIO.L> and housebuilder Barratt <BDEV.L> slipping respectively 2% and 2.7% on signs of weakening future revenue.

(Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham)