London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

UK regulator tells Covid travel test firms to ‘get on right side of the law’

UK regulator tells Covid travel test firms to ‘get on right side of the law’

CMA threatens enforcement action after allegations of poor service for travellers arriving in England

Private companies that sell Covid-19 tests to holidaymakers have been told to “get on the right side of the law” by the competition regulator, after widespread allegations of poor service triggered a government crackdown.

Days after the health secretary, Sajid Javid, said “cowboy” PCR test firms could be removed from the government’s list of approved providers, the Competition and Markets Authority issued a separate warning.

It said rogue companies could face enforcement action from the CMA itself or from National Trading Standards if they are found to be breaking consumer law by misleading customers or treating them unfairly.

It follows multiple allegations that private providers, who are thought to have made £500m since the return of international leisure travel in mid-May, failed to deliver tests, send results and process refunds.

In an open letter to PCR test firms, many of which sprang up this year, the CMA’s general counsel, Sarah Cardell, said: “PCR test providers should be in no doubt that they need to get on the right side of the law. If they don’t, they risk enforcement action.

“This warning goes hand in hand with action taken by government this week and is the latest step in our work to tackle rip-off prices and bad service. We continue to work closely with [the Department of Health and Social Care] in reviewing this market and will be providing further advice to DHSC on action that can be taken.”

The letter highlights practices including:

*  Advertising test prices that do not include additional charges.

*  Advertising cheap tests that are not available or only in small quantities.

*  Failing to deliver tests or provide results on time, or at all.

*  Refusing to provide refunds when consumers are let down.

The Guardian has documented allegations about poor service at several PCR test firms.

A Tory donor who founded Conservative Friends of NHS, and his son, faced questions about two private companies they run offering PCR tests for travellers after being hit with complaints.

Last week, a Covid testing company co-owned by a former Labour justice minister and a Labour councillor was accused of failing to deliver kits and test results and not refunding customers, forcing them to fall back on the NHS.

The company denied the allegations, made by several customers.

Dozens of companies offering PCR tests were set up earlier this year after the government set out a regime under which millions of travellers arriving in England are required to take the tests but must buy them from private companies.

The move sparked a feeding frenzy by firms trying to win a slice of the market, with some even adding punctuation marks to their trading names in an effort to appear at the top of a list of providers published in alphabetical order.

But the process has been dogged by successive revelations about the system.

Reports of poor service have stoked concern that the NHS has ended up footing the bill when private providers do not deliver and customers are forced to call the 119 Covid helpline to acquire tests free of charge.

A Guardian investigation found firms may be skewing the market by not charging VAT sales tax.

The DHSC launched a review of pricing practices by PCR test companies earlier this month. On Monday, the department said 82 providers – 18% of those displayed on the government’s website of approved providers – had been given a two-strike warning for displaying lower prices than are available at the point of checkout.

Rory Boland, the travel editor of consumer group Which?, said: “This intervention from the regulator is positive news, however this laundry list of problems has left travellers struggling for months to choose a trustworthy, reliable test provider and having to pay the financial penalty when things go wrong.

“The government must act swiftly to remove test providers misleading customers from its site, while the CMA must be prepared to take tough action against any firms flouting the rules.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
×