A letter has emerged from the Chancellor, George Osbourne, expressing his dismay at the ‘road safety and environmental costs’ of reducing the frequency of the MOT test.
In the letter he details how the DfT had found that ‘as many as three in ten cars on the road may be operating outside the laws on vehicle registration, testing and insurance
The 2007 document highlights that Mr. Osbourne is ‘well aware’ of the contents of the Davidson Review – a report published with a view of reducing the UK’s test frequency to the EU’s minimum standard.
This letter was written by Mr. Osbourne, who was then in opposition, to John Ball – a constituent who runs a chain of eight MOT test centres. Mr. Ball has since become the MOT chair of the RMI-F.
The final paragraph carries a note that ‘all my collegues in the Shadow Transport Team share our concerns on this issue’. This would surely include new transport secretary Justine Greening, as at the time Osbourne would have been her boss.