(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window) * FTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 adds 0.1% June 15 (Reuters) - London’s FTSE 100 index edged higher on Tuesday, lifted by gains in consumer staples and healthcare stocks, though domestically focused mid-cap shares lagged as the UK government delayed plans to fully lift the remaining COVID-19 restrictions. The blue-chip index rose 0.2%, with large dollar earning companies including Diageo, Unilever and British American Tobacco providing the biggest boost. The pharmaceutical sub-index added 0.5%, with AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline leading the gains. The index is just off 16-month highs hit on Monday. The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index advanced just 0.1% however after Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed plans to lift most remaining COVID-19 restrictions by a month, citing the rapid spread of the more infectious Delta variant. There was good news however on the jobs front, as the number of employees on British company payrolls surged by a record 197,000 in May as COVID restrictions eased, tax data showed. Headline unemployment rate for the three months to April fell to 4.7%, its lowest since August. Among stocks, BATM Advanced Communications climbed 4.4% after it received a $4.1 million cyber security contract. The easing of lockdown curbs also benefited online fashion retailer Boohoo which posted a 32% quarterly rise in sales despite a tough year-on-year comparison. Boohoo shares fell 0.6% however. (Reporting by Devik Jain in Bengaluru) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.