Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Covid testing is rip-off, says former UK regulator

Covid testing is rip-off, says former UK regulator

PCR tests for travel have become "a predictable Covid rip-off", says the former chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority, Lord Tyrie.

Lord Tyrie said the competition regulator had been "too slow to react" to complaints about testing providers.

Holidaymakers have objected to high prices and poor service from many of the 400-plus test firms listed on the government's website.

Tests cost about £75 on average, but prices can reach hundreds.

Last week, Health Secretary Sajid Javid asked the CMA to investigate "excessive" pricing and "exploitative practices" among PCR Covid test firms.

Initially, the CMA said it would take up to a month to report back. But after a chorus of objection from the travel industry, the CMA said it was reviewing the situation "immediately".

Lord Tyrie told the BBC that the CMA "could and should have been better prepared".

"It should either be acting already directly using existing powers. Or if deemed inadequate for the job, it should be advising the government on how to obtain a quick remedy, whether by legislation or by other means," he said.

"This advice should already be with the government."

'Excess of caution'


Lord Tyrie left the competition watchdog last summer after two years in the post, suggesting the role prevented him leading a more aggressive campaign for change.

He added: "The CMA acted much more quickly to quell price-gouging on hand sanitiser and other Covid-related products 18 months ago. Far from building on this success, boldness appears to have taken a back seat."

Lord Tyrie reflected that "the CMA is full of able and highly motivated people, keen to tackle detriment like this".

"Their energies need to be released from an excess of caution at the highest levels," he added.

At the weekend, the cost of NHS coronavirus tests for international arrivals to the UK was reduced. Test and Trace tests were cut from £88 to £68 for people arriving from green-listed countries, as well as for those coming from amber-listed countries who are fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the price of two tests for amber arrivals who have not had both jabs has been cut from £170 to £136.

It is understood the price cut is an attempt to drive down the cost across the market, so other operators will follow.

Pressing issue


Criticism of the government's decision to implement PCR Covid testing for all UK arrivals has been significant from the travel sector.

Last week, major airports including the Manchester Airport Group and Gatwick Airport, along with tour operator Tui, cited the testing policy as a major barrier to travel restarting and the industry recovering.

The government said its top priority was to protect public health and it continued to work with industry to help them navigate this difficult period.

Lord Tyrie said that the slow response of the CMA was likely to mean it was too late to offer a full remedy to the market before the peak holiday season comes to a close and people return to work and school in September.

But the CMA said: "These comments are inaccurate."

The watchdog said it gave advice to Department of Health and Social Care officials about the PCR testing market in April and "we gave further advice to the secretary of state last week".

A spokesperson for the CMA said: "We continue to work closely with Department of Health and Social Care in reviewing the market and, as we have made clear, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action ourselves if there are breaches of consumer law.

"Since the start of the pandemic, the CMA has secured hundreds of millions of pounds in refunds for people who have been treated unfairly, in sectors including holiday accommodation and package travel."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×