It’s a valid point in many ways; claimant groups, PI specialists and more could offer useful input as regards the reality of claims costs being managed more effectively, especially as AI now offers the chance to settle smaller claims much more quickly, whilst still settling for minor injuries at the agreed average.
In the background the UK government is probably trying to extract more IPT from the sector overall in the November Budget, whilst sweetening that bitter pill with some wriggle room on insurers charging high premiums by postcode, driver experience, convictions/points etc. The notion that car insurance can somehow be capped is something that will inevitably fail. Insurers will simply leave the market as they have with California wildfire coverage, or Motor cover in the Republic of Ireland.
In the end a fair balance needs to be found between premium rates and the payouts on new EVs, PI claims and complex injury claims where long term rehab is often part of the road to recovery. Here’s the word from MASS;
It has been confirmed that claimant representatives have been excluded from the government’s Motor Insurance Taskforce, prompting concern that the review of record-high premiums will deliver insurer-biased outcomes and further restrict access to justice for injured motorists.
A Freedom of Information request, obtained by MASS, has confirmed that the Taskforce – consisting of Ministers/officials from various Whitehall departments and financial regulators – and the supporting Stakeholder panel, did not include any claimant representatives.
The Stakeholder Panel was designed to provide external input to the Taskforce — but while major insurance industry players – the ABI, BIBA, MIB, SMMT, and Compare the Market are represented, and consumer bodies Which? and Citizens Advice have seats at the table, no claimant organisations, with specialist expertise in personal injury law, have been invited to participate.
“Leaving claimant voices out of the process makes the Taskforce unbalanced from the outset,” said Sue Brown, Chair of MASS. “It’s unacceptable that insurers have been given multiple seats at the table, while those representing the injured have none.”
“Which? and Citizens Advice are worthy consumer champions, but neither has the specialist expertise in personal injury law needed to scrutinise insurer arguments in this highly technical area. Even Citizens Advice routinely refers accident victims to MASS.”
MASS has written to ministers on several occasions (Transport Ministers in November 2024 and January 2025, and the Economic Secretary in February 2025) seeking the opportunity to either participate in the work in the Taskforce or submit written or oral evidence. We are aware that other claimant representative organisations have also done so. We did not receive a reply to any of our letters.
The Taskforce’s final report is expected this autumn, possibly alongside the November Budget. For claimant groups, the exclusion recalls George Osborne’s 2015 ‘whiplash reforms’, which promised cheaper premiums in return for cost savings at the expense of claimants, but instead tilted the system heavily towards insurers, undermining the rights of accident victims.
Recent FCA publications have reinforced the fear of history being repeated. One claimed the earlier reforms delivered significant savings to drivers, despite overwhelming evidence that the insurance industry has failed to deliver on its “cast-iron” promise to return £1.2 billion in annual savings to drivers through lower insurance premiums. Another report, released this summer, leaned heavily towards insurer-friendly recommendations, with little attention to the impact on injured claimants.
“Government scrutiny of motor insurance costs is right and necessary,” added Sue Brown. “But doing it without those who understand the experience of claimants following a motor accident risks producing policy again being written by the insurance industry, for the insurance industry.”
MASS is calling on the Government to discuss the Taskforce’s draft recommendations with claimant organisations before any final report is published.
Without balanced representation, MASS warns that the Taskforce will lack credibility and legitimacy — and once again, injured motorists could pay the price.
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