The recent events in Israel, Gaza and surrounding regions have caused unimaginable suffering for thousands of people and sent shockwaves across communities around the world.

A recent meeting of the Five eyes security Alliance (UK, US, France, Australia and New Zealand) surmised that “the world faces its greatest threat since the end of the Cold War”¹ with genuine concern over a descent into wider conflict in the Middle East and the inevitable overspill into the broader global community.

The director of MI5 Ken McCallum rarely speaks in public but his recent view that “There clearly is the possibility that profound events in the Middle East will either generate more volume of UK threat and/or change its shape in terms of what is being targeted, in terms of how people are taking inspiration”² is a cautionary notice that it is likely that the terrorism threat in the UK will lift over the coming months in line with an escalation in tensions internationally. Past experience has taught us that whilst tensions remain high it’s likely the threat will increase.

Whilst it can be difficult to broach the topic of insurance and coverage in this context, for those business owners and their employees, whose livelihoods and day to day lives are affected by such events, insurance can have a vital role to play to support them.

It is anticipated that in the Political Violence Insurance market there will be a significant increase in both war and terrorism claims in The Middle East as well as claims for strikes, riots and civil commotion, both domestically and globally, as more people take to the streets to campaign for what they believe to be the right solution.

With the insurance market reacting to the unpredictable geo-political environment, it is important to speak to an expert team to get a comprehensive picture on how certain covers react as well as limits and extensions available to help those who need it.

 

Sources

¹ The Times- “Terrorists could be inspired by Hamas” UK Spymaster warns- October 18, 2023.

² The Guardian “US and UK spy chiefs warn Middle East crisis could raise domestic terror threat” October 17, 2023.