hopes for cheaper summer holidays have been dashed as the health minister says that costly pcr tests are here to stay while mps lobby for cheaper lateral flows
Hated PCR tests that bump up the price of holidays abroad are set to stay for the foreseeable future, a health minister has warned.
Lord Bethell suggested to providers last Friday the tests, which cost more than £70, are not expected to be shelved soon despite huge opposition.
It comes as senior MPs continue to lobby for them to be swapped for lateral flow ones - which can cost just £10 - for double jabbed Britons.
Travel rules currently mean passengers have to take a PCR test two days before they fly home.
It comes after ministers were hit with a furious backlash this week after no major holiday destinations were opened up for quarantine-free holidays.
There had been hopes Turkey would move from red to amber, meaning double-jabbed people could enjoy quarantine-free holidays there for the first time in a year.
But it remained red, along with The Maldives. Thailand and Montenegro which were also added to the red list.
Lord Bethell suggested to providers last Friday the tests, which cost more than £70, are not expected to be shelved soon despite huge opposition
It comes as senior MPs continue to lobby for them to be swapped for lateral flow ones - which can cost just £10 - for double jabbed Britons (file photo)
Lord Bethell's comments are the remote meeting suggest the government will also enforce the use of the expensive tests for returning holidaymakers.
It is due to have a 'checkpoint' review by the government's taskforce on global travel on October 1.
One test provider present told the Telegraph: 'The general vibe was that PCR tests are here for some time to come.
'I also suspect that was the narrative as they need to encourage providers to stay in the game for the long haul as they keep changing the rules and that is expensive to keep resetting and changing.'
The roundtable was made up of 'blue chip' providers who discussed how to stop 'cowboy' firms charging huge prices for tests.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid stripped 57 companies from the government's approved list and put 82 on notice on Sunday.
The government says the tests are needed to save Britain from an influx of Covid variants because the virus can be genome sequenced.
Insiders fear PCRs will be used until the New Year and are seen as 'pretty valuable' by policymakers.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid stripped 57 companies from the government's approved list and put 82 on notice on Sunday
Earlier this week ministers were hit with a furious backlash last night after no major holiday destinations were opened up for quarantine-free holidays.
There had been hopes Turkey would move from red to amber, meaning double-jabbed people could enjoy quarantine-free holidays there for the first time in a year.
But it remained red, along with The Maldives. Thailand and Montenegro which were also added to the red list.
It means returning travellers must quarantine in hotels for eleven nights on arrival at a cost of £2,285, putting holidays there off limits.
Britons in either country will now have to dash back to beat hotel quarantine before 4am on Monday, when the changes kick-in.
Travel chiefs reacted with fury, accusing ministers of 'squandering' the successful jabs programme.
They warned more job losses were 'highly likely' this Autumn unless the traffic light system and 'rip-off' testing regime is overhauled.
Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Switzerland and the Azores were moved to the green list.
But they were all previously amber, meaning double-jabbed people could already travel to them quarantine-free.
It is understood Turkey and Pakistan stayed red because UK officials have concerns about the quality of their Covid data.