Britain | A question of solvency

In looser insurance rules, British politicians spy a Brexit dividend

If they expect a torrent of investment, they may be disappointed

Liz Truss, UK foreign secretary, answers questions from party members in the audience during the first Conservative Party leadership hustings in Leeds, UK, on Thursday, July 28, 2022. The UK appears set to privatize Channel Four Television Corp. after both Conservative Party candidates vying to be prime minister indicated support for the plan. Photographer: Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Insurance regulation makes few hearts race. So it is odd that this summer Liz Truss, the front-runner in the Conservatives’ leadership contest, should have peppered her hustings speeches to party members with mentions of Solvency II, a set of prudential European rules for insurers. But for Ms Truss’s audience, Solvency II has a couple of features that may quicken the pulse. It was designed by the eu, so it is ripe to be ripped away. And would-be reformers say it could be refashioned to free up tens of billions of pounds for investment in Britain’s economy.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “A question of solvency”

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