Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2020 to Question 32097, what steps he is taking to ensure that British citizens who purchased travel insurance before leaving the UK and extended their trip to avoid international travel due to the covid-19 pandemic, and who are now trying to return to the UK on commercial flights, are able to secure travel insurance for their return journey.

We are in regular contact with the insurance industry to understand the impact on them and keep the information on our travel advice pages up to date. The Association of British Insurers announced on 2 April that UK-based insurers will look to extend travel insurance policies for 60 days to ensure British travellers abroad will be covered for emergency medical treatment they might need, provided that the customer is making every effort to return home. Anyone affected should speak to their insurance company to discuss the options available to them.