Lloyd's of London must defend itself for a second time against claims that it fraudulently recruited more than 220 Names in the 1980s.

The Names accuse 33 members of the Lloyd's Market Committee of playing down the extent of asbestos-related losses totalling more than £4bn.

When the Names became financial backers of Lloyd's, they accepted unlimited liability and now owe £50m following thousands of asbestos-related claims from the US.

Although the insurance market was cleared of fraud in the High Court last November, three judges in the Court of Appeal said there were "compelling reasons" why the court should look again at the evidence.

Co-chairman of the United Names Organisation (UNO), Catherine Mackenzie Smith, said: "This is awkward for Lloyd's. We are delighted though not very surprised, as it was clearly a poor judgment."

Lloyd's chief executive Nick Prettejohn said: "The Court has made it absolutely clear that its decision is nothing to do with the merits of an appeal, it is simply a reflection of the huge volume of evidence and length of time required to make any hearing of the arguments meaningful."

The appeal will take place in January and will further add to the £20m already spent by Lloyd's in defending its case.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.

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