The share index is down by 1.3 per cent, the lowest it has been since 8 December 2017.

Other stock markets in Europe have seen a similar drop today, dragging down the Stoxx 600, which tracks the biggest companies in Europe, by 1.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, the futures market is indicating that the US stock market will also fall when it opens at 2.30pm UK time.

The Dow Jones is expected to drop by around 0.5 per cent or 130 points, having already shed 665 points on Friday.

Japan’s Nikkei is down by 2.6 per cent today and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng composite index is down by 1.2 per cent.