Rule 8.3 - FRIENDS PROVIDENT

FORM 8.3

    DEALINGS BY PERSONS WITH INTERESTS IN SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
              (Rule 8.3 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers)


1.   KEY INFORMATION

Name of person dealing        BARCLAYS PLC
(Note 1)
Company dealt in              FRIENDS PROVIDENT
Class of relevant security    ORD GBP0.10
to which the dealings being
disclosed relate (Note 2)
Date of dealing               30 July 2007

2.   INTERESTS, SHORT POSITIONS AND RIGHTS TO SUBSCRIBE

(a)  Interests and short positions (following dealing) in the class of relevant
security dealt in (Note 3)

                           Long                        Short

                     Number       (%)          Number        (%)

(1) Relevant      79,740,742    3.71%       2,520,144      0.12%
securities
(2) Derivatives    5,310,167    0.25%       9,641,544      0.45%
(other than
options)
(3) Options and      304,983    0.01%       1,102,936      0.05%
agreements to
purchase/sell

Total             85,355,892    3.97%      13,264,624      0.62%

(b)  Interests and short positions in relevant securities of the company, other
     than the class dealt in (Note 3)

Class of                    Long                     Short
relevant
security:

                  Number             (%)    Number            (%)

(1) Relevant
securities

(2) Derivatives
(other than
options)

(3) Options and
agreements to
purchase/sell

Total


(c)  Rights to subscribe (Note 3)

Class of relevant security:   Details



3.   DEALINGS (Note 4)

(a)  Purchases and sales

Purchase/sale Number of Securities Price per unit
                                   (GBP)
Purchase      1,881                1.8140
Purchase      2,222                1.7879
Purchase      16,622               1.7991
Purchase      50                   1.8019
Purchase      2,784                1.7839
Purchase      9,910                1.7947
Purchase      745                  Transfer
Purchase      684                  1.7947
Purchase      10,162               1.7909
Purchase      2,000                1.7795
Purchase      254                  1.8016
Purchase      123,684              1.7773
Purchase      41,615               1.7774
Purchase      2,741                Transfer
Purchase      200                  Transfer
Purchase      19,430               1.7917
Purchase      5,500                1.7994
Purchase      690                  Transfer
Purchase      177,927              1.7912
Sale          1,500                1.8055
Sale          3,275                1.8305
Sale          745                  Transfer
Sale          23,692               1.8112
Sale          2,784                1.8052
Sale          2,222                1.7813
Sale          237                  1.7982
Sale          21,078               1.8016
Sale          388,155              1.7983
Sale          2,327                1.8072
Sale          61,744               1.8058
Sale          16,155               1.8021
Sale          9,058                1.7916
Sale          31,766               1.7985
Sale          74,787               1.8016
Sale          29,596               1.8130

(b)  Derivatives transactions (other than options)

Product    Long/Short    Number of Securities  Price Per
name                                           Unit
CFD        Short         165299                1.7773
CFD        Short         10162                 1.7909
CFD        Short         177927                1.7911
CFD        Short         9910                  1.7946
CFD        Short         16622                 1.7991
CFD        Long          388155                1.7982
CFD        Long          31766                 1.7985
CFD        Long          95865                 1.8016
CFD        Long          16155                 1.8021
CFD        Long          61744                 1.8057
CFD        Long          29596                 1.813

(c)  Options transactions in respect of existing securities

(i)  Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Product name,   Writing,          Number of          Exercise  Type, e.g.      Expiry   Option money
e.g. call       selling,          securities to      price     American,       date     paid/received
option          purchasing,       which the option             European etc.            per unit (GBP)
                varying etc.      relates (GBP)

(ii) Exercising

Product name, e.g.  Number of           Exercise price per
call option         securities          unit (Note 5)




(d)  Other dealings (including new securities) (Note 4)


Nature of transaction Details           Price per unit
(Note 8)                                (if applicable)
                                        (Note 5)



4.   OTHER INFORMATION
None

Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives


Full details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding between the
person disclosing and any other person relating to the voting rights of
any relevant securities under any option referred to on this form or
relating to the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any
relevant securities to which any derivative referred to on this form is
referenced.  If none, this should be stated.




Is a Supplemental Form 8 attached? (Note 9)                 NO


Date of disclosure                         31 July 2007
Contact name                               BARCLAYS COMPLIANCE
Telephone number                           020 7116 2913
If a connected EFM, name of
offeree/offeror with which connected
If a connected EFM, state nature of
connection (Note 10)