The British government is accused of allowing the company to manipulate the system by offering tests at unrealistic prices

Last modified on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 04.47 EST

The former chairman of the British competition regulator condemned the passenger PCR testing market, calling it a “cottage jungle”.

After renewing the request for testing when returning from abroad, Lord Terry accused the government of allowing companies that provide PCR tests to provide these tests at unrealistic prices to manipulate the system.

“This policy may be considered misfortune once it is in chaos, but if it reappears after all the warnings throughout the summer, it must be described as careless,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today program. "This is a scandal waiting to happen. It has already happened and requires very urgent action."

Last week, the “Guardian” revealed that a series of cheapest PCR testing transactions were deleted from the government website due to concerns that travellers were misled by companies promoting coronavirus testing services and their prices were less than 1 pound.

Private companies that offer travelers the next day of testing are listed on government websites for consumers to search. However, most deals are found to be unsuitable for most travelers because they are usually only available in one location, have limited dates, and are only available to those who can participate in person.

“It seems that some of the worst practices — misleading online advertising, overpriced, unacceptably poor service quality — are still widespread,” former head of the Competition and Markets Administration and former chairman of the Special Committee of the Ministry of Finance Terry said. .

"It would be shameful to let this continue during the peak Christmas season. Other countries seem to be doing better, and we have to work harder."

After the government announced that people arriving in the UK would need to undergo PCR testing and pre-flight testing before the end of the next day, worries about the price of the test reignited.

Laboratories and testing industry organizations that work with ministers to ensure that the UK testing industry has high ethical and professional standards have stated that the government has failed to “enforce accuracy” on its supplier list.

A government spokesperson said: "We have made it clear that it is unacceptable for any private testing company to use the holidays."