UK Insurers Urged To Make Quick Riot Damage Payouts

Ministers are urging insurance firms to pay out quickly to businesses damaged by this month's rioting.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Dearbail Jordan of BBC News that he had written to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to make sure companies "receive the cover that they are entitled to through their insurance policies as swiftly as possible." I Photo: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Dearbail Jordan of BBC News that he had written to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to make sure companies "receive the cover that they are entitled to through their insurance policies as swiftly as possible."

Businesses, including shops and hotels in Stockport, Liverpool, Hull, Sunderland, and Belfast, have seen windows or facades smashed in or set on fire by rioters while some have reported looting.

The ABI said it would "work with our members, the government, and other stakeholders to do everything we can to help customers recover as quickly as possible."

Reynolds said that he had visited Liverpool where he spoke to some small business owners affected by the violence.

"They weren’t aware if they were insured or underinsured that there was still help available to them," he said. Most commercial insurance policies will cover companies for damage to their premises caused by civil unrest. Direct Line, for example, says it "includes insurance cover for riot as standard under its business insurance policies."