It was literally designed to appear non-automated - that's the sort of thing that DVSA will be up against.

By the time I took my final test (because by this point c. 2023 it was impossible to book anything within 6 months) there were actually web plug-ins that acted as users on the DVSA website, clicking/reloading specific driving centres (at randomised human-like intervals) until it found a test.

They essentially pretended to be you, spotted cancelled slots, reserved it, cancelled your test and then rebooked the new one for you. Which was all well and good until everyone starts using them at which point it just became a case of bot-on-bot fastest finger.

2. Bots being used to book tests. I'm unclear how what's being outlined is going to stop that, and how they won't simply evolve to get round any changes. The bots I used (because you basically had no choice but to use them) weren't booking instructor slots, nor were they reselling at higher prices.

From first reading, it appears to be conflating what I think are two separate issues.

1. People using instructor accounts to bulk book tests which they resold at massive profit. Banning this is obviously a good idea - why it was ever an option in the first place is beyond me.

We also reported on the scale of Abramovich's involvement in third party ownership, many of whom were minors when they signed the deals:

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023...

This follows our investigation in 2023 which found an array of opaque offshore payments involving Abramovich-owned companies which would routed away from Chelsea:

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023...

TBF, Danegeld does sound like a very Truss policy. Levy huge sums to pay to another kingdom to try and stop people coming over, and then they come anyway.

A cautionary tale for the world of football finance.

Vitesse's meteoric rise and crashing fall all stemmed from its 2010 takeover, when the club began receiving millions from Roman Abramovich through a complex network of offshore loans.

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023...

The original story, a 5,000 word deep dive on the "most feared" libel firm in the UK is here: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023...

Anyway, if you like the work, become a member today – TBIJ relies on donations and even small amounts go a long way: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/support-us

not a violin in the world small enough

Unless they're Legoland

Can you do Maidenhead Golf Course next - "green lung" of Berkshire apparently, despite being surrounded on all sides by countryside...

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...