. MES IS No. 64,452 AY OCTOBER 1 1 992 45p A QUESTION THE PENALTYr COURAGE AND OF TASTE PRINCIPLE i CONVICTION Simon Jenkins ji|L; 1 Making the rich pay Magic Johnson on Gore Vidal .more for their sins decides to play on Life & Times, page 1 S—'««> pTife-& Times, page 6 Page 30 MMI Hillsborough cash halted Europe moves forward as 1 2, says Major insurer Charles Bremner in Paris and Nicholas Wood freezes By JOHN Major obtained a rand’s prime minister from French agreement that aO 1988-1991. who criticised the members of toe European Bundesbank for making neg- Community must move for- ative statements about the ward together when he met pound before its devaluation. President Mitterrand in Paris The president and Mr Ma- yesterday. There was no word jor said in a joint statement By Lindsay Cook, Sara McConnell and Douglas Broom of any agreement on the toat they had noted that toe European Monetary System. debate in France and else- BRITAIN'S ninth biggest in- of Trade decided to halt MMI one other major broker had However, French officials where over Maastricht had surance company announced business after his department earlier suspended sales of mo- emphasised that M Mitter- revealed public concern about last night that it would pay no ruled that the company did tor and household insurance rand’s desire was to help Mr toe need to respect national claims for the foreseeable not meet its solvency require- policies with MMI. M&jorwin approval for Maas- identity and avoid Commun- future after the government ments. Its forced withdrawal An estimated 30.000 of the tncht in Parliament The ity interference in matters of ordered it to stop taking new from the public liability mar- AA’s 1.6 mQfion customers French foreign ministry said national action. Thor agreed business and renewing' exist- ket will leave dozens of coun- have motor insurance under- yesterday that it could accept that toe Community must be ing policies. cils without cover for claims written by MMI. From yester- ratification at a date open to public scrutiny. The moratorium by Munic- beyond more ranging from injuries caused day, ary customer whose the end of this year, when it is After nearly 50 per cent of ipal Mutual Insurance, which broken by paving stones to policy is due for renewal will due to come into force. insured nine out of ten local compensation for child abuse be offered cover by another “We were absolutely at one authorities, will affect more at local authority hostels. A “household name insurer on that the Community needs to than a million individual poli- number are to the known have same terms and a& the move together as Twelve ... I cy holders and bait payments approached brokers in recent same cost as they would'have don't think any of us wants to to the 500 people bereaved or weeks about arranging alter- got from MMI. see what's loosely called a two- injured in the Hillsborough native cover and one leading Similar arrangements have speed Europe." Mr Major football stadium disaster. broker said he now expected been made for buildings and said after his 90-minute meet- Another two million people “a maelstrom” as authorities contents insurance underwrit- ing with M Mitterrand- have policies underwritten by scramble to secure cover. • ten by the group. was “1 detected m MMI no impatience: a MMI. which was also a major The open market has still to on the AA’s panel of insurers lot of understanding and a lot underwriter of personal cover set premiums for public liabil- as part of a consortium of 12 of agreement," he added. Mr for losses suffered by Lloyd’s ity insurance, but the costs are companies which underwrites Major said that he had names. certain to increase with higher insurance for about 300,000 reached agreement “about the Michael Heseltine’s Board levels of retentions and higher customers have insurance un- nature of some of the changes premium rates for policy hold- derwritten by this consortium. we want to bring about" and ers, resulting in higher council MMI suffered pre tax losses the talks had been "extremely tax bills. The scale of the of £240.3 million in 1991. useful" in preparing for the Mitterrand: wants Display increases is not likely to.be sharply up on losses of nearly emergency EC summit this to help Major known for some days, but £50 million in 1990, and month in Birmingham. M Heruy Croft-Baker, of the needed an injection of funds to Mitterrand, just bade from French voters rejected Maas- of bodies Lloyd’s broker, Fenchureh In- survive. SinceJuly, it had been convalescing in Britanny. ac- tricht, the Mitterrand admin- surance Brokers, said councils in merger talks with La companied Mr Major to the istration is eager to add with a proven commitment to Guamntie MutueUe des front door of toe Elyste Palace. clarifying notes to the treaty, provokes risk management loss Fohctiohnaires and . {GMF). of Neither Mr Major nor but it is ruling out any renego- control would be regarded France, but at ir became dear French officials would com- tiation. The president was more favourably. Royal Insur- at the weekend that these were ment on financial aspects of thought likely to have urged ance. one of Britain’s outrage biggest not going ahead smoothly. their talks. Paris is resisting Mr Major to end his row with composite insurance •= groups GMF insisted earlier this any attempt to modify toe Germany. He briefed him on ‘ has said it would be reluctant Week that talks were off and ByRayClancy European monetary system. his meeting last week with underwrite public liability that to it was not interested in M Mitterrand was likely to Helmut Kohl, the German because RELATIVES and friends insurance MMI’s doing a deaL MMI daimed have asked Mr Major to Chancellor, which prompted of the of the Britons killed in the domination market that the .two companies were explain what he meant by spoliation about an alleged meant that it had access to still Pakistan airbus crash last no talking, but yesterday “fault lines” in toe system. Franco-German plan to push claims records which to accepted night began their journey on that the negotiations France is prepared to “seek ahead to monetary unification to Kathmandu amid a row base pricing. had broken down. MMI is all means to ensure the speedi- without Britain and the other Most of personal over the gruesome manner MMI’s . now discussing the transfer of est and most harmonious way weaker European economies. customers are council staff parts in which the Nepalese of tire business to other to ratify toe treaties", a French Last night. Mr Major re- substantial • authorities have displayed who were offered insurers. foreign ministry spokesman turned to London to dine with fragments of bodies and discounts to take oat car and Local council leaders said said. This could include wait- Paul Sdihuer. the Danish personal effects at the home insurance, loans and that if daims against them ing for British ratification after prime minister. They were airport mortgages. The Cheltenham had to be paid from their own the New Year. Britain received likely to attempt to clarify Gloucester building society funds they have British embassy officials & would to raise further support yesterday from Danish objections to the exist- criticised the arrange- yesterday transferred all its local taxes to pay for it Michel Rocard, M Mitter- ing Maastricht text ments in Kathmandu as 216.000 biddings and con- Geoffrey Fflkin, secretary of being no more than “a tents policies and mortgage the Association of District grotesque peep-show" and indemnity cover to General Councils, said authorities t: ,r?* they removed bodies from Accident. The Automobile As- would press the government tent rather than sociation, the largest general for permission to borrow to Academic style; Baroness Thatcher was yesterday installed as chancellor of an open fcv tosses. University. ./Y\ leave them in full public insurance broker, and at least cover any Buckingham Lord Hailshara. right, received an honorary degree view. British High Commis- sion staff have taken the extraordinary step of bor- ON OTHER BR keeps refrigerated lorry Cabinet battle on EFA bill rowing a and snatching bodies from PAGES tent Some are now in By Michael Evans and Sheila Gunn fare rises NATIONALS the a cold storage room at the break EFA. people here think nations jointly. Threatened by Joyrider United States embassy as A BATTLE will out Many ministers today over it is almost certainly doomed." the possible withdrawal of officials try to ease the between very quiet should foot Michael Ponflto. chief seoe- Italy and Spain, as well as difficulties for the British whether Britain jailed the £22 tary to the Treasury, is keeping Germany, from toe produc- By when they arrive. the entire cost of Michael Dvnes tion of the fighter pro- driver killed Thirty-nine dose rela- billion European Fighter Air- a dose watch on EFA costs. phase A who five TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT craft after public statement Britain has already spent £1.5 gramme. the defence ministry young people while racing a tives and eight friends of a build toe billion on development costs has begun to make serious friend at SOmph was jailed FARES went up this week those who died boarded a that Britain would its if its three and is committed to a further calculations about the cost of for five years yesterday. without any prior warning Pakistan International plane on own on £13 billion, Britain’s share of going it alone Shaun Gooch.