The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will provide advice and intelligence on the market in PCR tests to the health secretary Sajid Javid according to reports in the national press.
PCR tests for day two and day eight after return to England listed on the government’s website range from £20 to more than £300. Average prices in the UK are £75.
The Guardian reports that Javid wrote to the CMA on Friday (6 August) asking the body to remove "exploitative behaviour" and "unfair practices" among the firms which offer the tests.
Last Thursday (5 August), Huw Merriman MP branded PCR tests as an "unnecessary rip-off", claiming that only a fraction of positive tests are routinely being genomically sequenced.
