West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed a Supreme Court ruling which will mean insurance companies will have to pay out to dozens of local companies who paid for pandemic insurance.

The court ruled that insurance firms will have to pay claims for business interruption when they were forced to close in the last lockdown.

Dozens of local business owners contacted Harriett for assistance as their claims were rejected. Six insurers who had sold business interruption insurance products - Arch, Argenta, Hiscox, MS Amlin, QBE and RSA - claimed their policies did not cover a global pandemic like coronavirus.

Harriett has advised local firms affected by the delay and also raised her concerns in Treasury Select Committee meetings which has been carrying out an enquiry into the wider impact of coronavirus on the economy.

Harriett said: “I’ve had quite a few local businesses raise their concerns about how some companies were refusing to pay out on their claims. The courts moved swiftly to hear a test case and I am pleased that the Supreme Court has upheld the initial ruling.

“This has been a very difficult time for many businesses and although the Government has rolled out a number of support packages, some of the shutdown costs were covered by insurance policies.

“I remain eager to offer assistance to companies who have been negatively impacted by these periods of lockdown but I hope that with a vaccination programme properly underway, we can see a route towards unlocking the local economy as soon as possible.”