Government could wind down free lateral flow test scheme as costs mount

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The provision of free lateral flow coronavirus tests by the government could be wound down, amid fears over the cost to taxpayers.

Downing Street did not deny reports that ministers want to move more of the burden for paying for the devices on to private businesses.

But the move is expected to lead to fears that individuals will be asked to pay, rather than their employers.

The government currently provides millions of the tests, in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease, which often carries no symptoms.

At the moment those who come into "close contact" with a confirmed Covid case are told to isolate for 10 days by the NHS Test and Trace service.

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However, if that system is replaced by daily testing for close contacts, as ministers are considering, the need for lateral flow devices will only increase.

A Treasury source told The Daily Telegraph, which first reported the story: "We’ve always said provision would be time limited. Individuals with symptoms can still get a test free of charge."

The paper said officials were examining how to incentivise sectors that currently get publicly funded tests to pay for the service themselves.

No 10 would not comment, saying that it would not “speculate on any future policy”.

The government spent more than £4billion on lateral flow devices up until the end of March.

Many businesses require staff coming into the workplace to take two tests a week, to ensure they are Covid-free.

But there have been questions over their use.

Earlier this week Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, said a lot of the use of the devices, including in schools, was not based on good evidence.

He said: "Lateral flow tests aren’t brilliant tests anyway - they’re best at detecting cases like we did in Liverpool where we can go out and there are high rates of positivity, and we can find some people who are positive and help them isolate. That’s really where there’ll be best used.

"We don’t actually know how well they work in children yet so all of the use of the tests in schools is based on a presumption that they work in the same way that they work in adults, but that doesn’t seem likely.

"So a lot of the testing that we’re doing isn’t based on good evidence anyway.”