Travel tests for Covid should be pegged at £40, the government is being urged by senior Conservative MPs.
Henry Smith, Tory chairman of the all-party Future of Aviation group said the government should cap PCR tests at around £40 and scrap them for holidaymakers returning from “low-risk” countries.
Writing in the Telegraph, he said: “The rationale for the testing regime looks increasingly dubious. Why not, instead, sample a random group of arrivals rather than require everyone to pay for tests frequently run by shoddy companies failing to deliver tests on time and guilty of making hugely misleading price claims?”
The demand came as competition watchdog the CMA “plans to identify the core issues and advise on actions that can be taken” within the next month – meaning no action will be taken until after the summer peak.
And transport select committee chair Huw Merriman – a vocal critic of the “rip-off” charges – questioned why so few PCR testing firms on the government’s list of providers have been accredited in a letter to health secretary Sajid Javid.
He said: “The high cost, poor quality and lack of sequencing from PCR tests needs to be urgently addressed by the government. They are an unnecessary barrier to affordable international travel.”
Former Cabinet minister David Davis argued that it would be “perfectly sensible” to cap test costs to prevent profiteering and axe the 20% VAT charge on PCR tests, which the government insists are necessary to prevent the import of variants of the virus.
“These tests are in the public interest, not the individual interest. There’s an entirely logical, morally and ethically justifiable reason for controlling the cost and for the state to make a contribution,” he said.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Conservative backbench committee, said: “Analysis of test results shows fewer positive test results than in the general population. If the Government is mandating so many tests, then it should also require providers to offer them at a reasonable cost.”
Simon Jupp, a Conservative member of the transport committee, said: “Capping the cost of tests must be the way forward to ensure a trip abroad is affordable for everyone.
“I’m really glad the health secretary is demanding a rapid audit of companies providing tests at astronomical prices. The rip-off merchants must be stopped.”
As other MPs backed the call, the government confirmed that people in England who have been double jabbed will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if pinged from August 16.
Instead they will be advised to take a PCR test, limit contact with others and wear a face mask in enclosed spaces.
They will not be required to self-isolate while they wait for the results of the PCR test.
Javid said: “Thanks to the huge success of the vaccine programme, we are able to ease self-isolation requirements for double jabbed people and under 18s. It is important that close contacts continue to come forward for a PCR test, in order to detect the virus and variants of concern.”
Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said: “Which? has repeatedly highlighted that the cost of testing is too high, preventing some people from taking essential trips overseas or long-awaited holidays.
“Every day we hear from more people being hit with the consequences of a travel testing system that is unaffordable for many and not fit for purpose.
“The government must urgently look at ways, including the possibility of introducing a price cap, to reduce the cost of testing, while the Competition and Markets Authority must complete its review of the market swiftly, and take action against any firms found to be charging excessive or misleading prices.”