Britain will leave the European single market and customs union at on Thursday, the end of a difficult year and of a post-Brexit transition period marked by intense and tortuous trade negotiations.
Under the EU deal, musicians are not covered by exemptions allowing for free passage of short-term business visitors, sparking warnings that continental tours by UK bands will become unviable.
Energy stocks rose 0.4%, tracking an uptick in oil prices on expectations of rising fuel demand. Sector heavyweight Woodside Petroleum added almost 1%.
The British government on Wednesday said huge swathes of England would be placed under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country.
With the interim agreement, the Canadian government "is making sure businesses can easily continue trading without adding paperwork for businesses and importers," it said in a statement.
At least 1.68 million people have been killed by Covid-19 since the virus first emerged in China a year ago, with more than 10,000 people still dying daily.
The British government is making a concerted effort to persuade the Trump administration to lift or soften travel restrictions that bar most people in the United Kingdom from traveling to the United States.
Since then there has been no decision by President Donald Trump, but UK officials have held a series of high-level talks with White House and Cabinet officials.
The United States is hopeful of sealing a mini-trade deal with the United Kingdom to reduce tariffs, President Donald Trump’s trade chief, Robert Lighthizer, told the BBC.
Lighthizer said he was hopeful for a deal that could see punitive tariffs on Scottish whisky lowered, the BBC said.