Let's do the same for Columbus Direct: look in Policy Wording, search for the same word:

You will not be covered if you choose to travel to
a specific area against the advice issued by the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

That's the same cover to me. Regarding your point, it might be different on the time you traveled, but presently I find the same policies in practice with all UK providers.

Talking about Columbus, another issue; I didn't really looked on them since the so many negative reviews on I find them online.

From their policy wording again:

the underwriters, PTI
Insurance Company Limited or Enterprise
Insurance Company PLC in respect of the Legal
Expenses section

Have you heard of these companies?

The big question is how you decide which companies to trust if most of the times the policy does not get tested in the real sense of the word. And on the Internet you find all kinds of info so who knows?

First you have an insurance dealer but what you have to look for is the underwriter.

From the UK, AXA, ACE Group and Mapfre are among the better ones(?), hopefully, as AXA underwrites for AMEX so it must be good (my simple logic) and ACE Group and Mapfre underwrites for non residents (read better reviews of them on the Internet than of Columbus). It's not an exact science.