British retail sales rose 1.2 per cent in April, significantly overshooting analysts’ expectations as warm weather encouraged consumers to spend more. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the volume of goods sold to rise 0.2 per cent in the month, after a revised increase of 0.1 per cent in March.

Asian shares gained on Friday as beaten-down Treasuries found buyers after U.S. President Donald Trump's tax bill narrowly passed the lower house, although debt worries still dominated.

UK retail sales soared in April, continuing a surprisingly strong start to the year in a further sign that consumers are proving resilient in the face of rising bills and Donald Trump’s global trade war.