ORLANDO, Fla. (Mar. 12, 2008) - Barclays PLC, the global financial services provider, has extended its significant international involvement in professional golf by signing world No. two Phil Mickelson to a multi-year contract to represent its businesses worldwide.

"I'm proud to continue my personal and professional relationship with Barclays by becoming part of its effort to support golf around the world," said Mickelson, who is also a Barclays Wealth client. "Barclays standards in golf are as high as those in its businesses and the firm is clearly a worldwide leader in both areas."

Barclays sponsors the Barclays Scottish Open on the European Tour, the Barclays Singapore Open on the Asian Tour and The Barclays, the first tournament in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

Robert E Diamond Jr., President of Barclays PLC, said: "I am delighted to welcome Phil Mickelson to the Barclays team. Phil is a great ambassador and role model for the game of golf. He is a winner who personifies the game's values of integrity, focus and precision, which are at the core of how we at Barclays are committed to earning success every day for our clients. We look forward to working with Phil as we expand and strengthen the Barclays brand around the world."

Mickelson will wear the Barclays logo on the chest of his golf apparel, make corporate appearances on behalf of the company, and be involved with advertising and marketing campaigns to build the Barclays brand globally, in particular across its Investment Banking and Investment Management (IBIM) businesses: Barclays Capital, Barclays Global Investors, and Barclays Wealth.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Golf is a significant part of Barclays sponsorship portfolio. It provides a perfect opportunity for the firm to build stronger relationships with its clients, increase its brand awareness and align itself with a game that has global appeal and strong ethics, as well as exemplifying quality, confidence and focus. Barclays sponsors the prestigious Barclays Scottish Open in the UK, The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup playoff event in the US, and the Barclays Singapore Open. It also sponsors Darren Clarke, the European Ryder Cup star from Ireland, and Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian golfer to play on the European Tour.

Barclays also sponsors other world-class sporting events and personalities, such as the Barclays English Premier League, the world's most watched football league, the New York Nets, and England cricket superstar Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, a former winner of the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award.

About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia.

With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs 135,000 people.

Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 27 million customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com

About Investment Banking and Investment Management (IBIM)
IBIM comprises three businesses of Barclays PLC, namely:

Barclays Capital is the investment banking division of Barclays PLC. With a distinctive business model, Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients with solutions to their financing and risk management needs. Barclays Capital has offices in 29 countries, employs over 16,200 people and has the global reach and distribution power to meet the needs of issuers and investors worldwide. www.barclayscapital.com

Barclays Global Investors (BGI) is one of the world's largest asset managers and a leading global provider of investment management products and services. It has over 2,900 institutional clients and over $2.0 trillion of assets under management. It transformed the investment industry by creating the first index strategy in 1971 and the first quantitive active strategy in 1979. BGI is the global product leader in exchange traded funds (iShares) with over 320 funds for institutions and individuals globally. www.barclaysglobal.com

Barclays Wealth is the UK's leading wealth manager by client assets with £132.5bn client assets globally (at 31 December 2007). It serves affluent, high net worth and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, fiduciary services, investment management and brokerage. It was voted Global Investor's Wealth Manager of the Year for 2007. www.barclayswealth.com

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Contact:

Barclays:

Simon Eaton (Europe)
+44 20 3134 2111
simon.eaton@barclayscapital.com

Peter Truell (Americas)
+1 212 412 7576
peter.truell@barclayscapital.com