Boris Johnson has been urged to cap the cost of private COVID-19 tests to prevent foreign holidays from becoming a luxury open only to the wealthiest families. A list of providers which meet minimum testing standards on the Government website shows more than 100 outlets charging ￡200 or more. The Independent's Travel Editor Simon Calder has estimated up to ￡300million has been spent by Brits returning to the UK since April.

       Asked if Brits are being "ripped off", Mr Calder told Sky News: "Most certainly, yes. There's absolutely no question of it."

       Holding up a small PCR test which Brits buy for ￡58 although it is "typically around ￡70".

       He continued: "Effectively it's just a few bits of kit. You take your own swab, you then post that away and then hopefully you get your result within a couple of days.

       "This is a legal requirement for anybody coming back into the UK.

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       "You can take the test at the airport when you arrive but you've got to have a PCR test within two days of your arrival and if you're coming back from an amber country and haven't been vaccinated, that's going to be another test as well.

       "Add that to the pre-departure test which can be a lateral flow test, you're looking at about ￡100 per person."

       He added: "There is huge amounts of profits being made. Clearly lots of money being made.

       "I calculated ￡300million has been sent by British travellers has been spent since April coming back into the UK and August is going to be peak testing."

       Analysis of the list by the Liberal Democrats shows just 11 percent of the providers offered tests for under ￡50, with the cheapest offering prices ranging from ￡20.

       Some 24 percent of the providers were charging more than ￡200 - with the Mayfair GP clinic listed as ￡575, although its own website said prices start at ￡399.

       Health Secretary Sajid Javid has asked the competition watchdog to investigate the market for travel PCR tests in response to concerns about the cost for families travelling abroad.

       Lib Dem health spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: "International travel cannot become a luxury that only the wealthy can afford.

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       "The price of PCR tests for international travel are a rip-off and far higher than most other countries.

       "Many have not seen their loved ones abroad since the beginning of the pandemic and the cost of testing is a real barrier to travel.

       "When the cost of providing a test is estimated to be ￡20, why are many companies charging well over ￡100 and some over ￡500?

       "Testing is vital in our fight against the pandemic, but if it is safe to travel it should be affordable to travel.

       "The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to cap the cost of PCR tests for international travel, scrap the VAT on tests, and cut the red tape that is keeping prices high."