The Business Secretary has ordered insurers to process riot-linked claims quickly and prevent shops from having to close because of ‘mindless thugs’.
Jonathan Reynolds has written to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) demanding that payouts are processed ‘swiftly’.
He told the Mail on Sunday he does not what a repeat of Covid, when insurers delayed payouts to pandemic-hit businesses. ‘We don’t want any repeat of any situation like that,’ he said.
On Friday the Cabinet minister visited a library in Walton, Liverpool, that had been torched in the riots.
Mr Reynolds said he found seeing the damage to the library ‘Incredibly distressing.’
Jonathan Reynolds has ordered insurers to process riot-linked claims quickly and prevent shops from having to close because of ‘mindless thugs’
CCTV image issued by Crown Prosecution Service of people setting fire to the Spellow Hub premises during the widespread public disorder on August 3 in Liverpool
A crowdfunding drive backed by celebrities including food writer Nigella Lawson has since raised more than £230,000 to restore it
‘How could anyone even possibly justify damage to a community asset like that?’
The Spellow Hub Library was torched and looted last weekend while rioters threw fireworks at police officers outside.
A crowdfunding drive backed by celebrities including food writer Nigella Lawson has since raised more than £230,000 to restore it.
Writing to the ABI, Mr Reynolds says its members must ‘swiftly resolve these claims to ensure businesses do not suffer additional delay in reopening and continuing to serve their local communities.
‘This government will ensure these mindless thugs do not result in local shops closing for good.’
He adds: ‘The barbaric action is likely to have led to thousands of pounds of damage to shop fronts and stock, while the people who keep our high streets alive have experienced outright racism.’
