Thanks Mark,
If it were mine:-
(1) I would not return it to the same MOT station - they are highly likely to pass it again - perhaps with a backside- covering advisory. As said, I would chose a random local MOT station.
(2) Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but would I have put my faith in the car’s total condition being assessed via a seller-chosen MOT and the seller’s word? No ( in caps).
(3). Such MOT issues are drawn to the attention of VOSA and not DVLA.
As an aside, I go back many decades, at the time I was selling a MK2 Cortina Estate. A potential buyer ( without having seen the car) arranged for an AA inspection. They came up with about half a dozen trivial conclusions on what was a nice vehicle, and understandably, he did not buy it - but someone else did shortly after. The point I make is that paid-for inspections can be a backside covering assessment, to prevent any ( in caps) come backs. Might be worth keeping this in mind, and the affair may turn out to be a storm in a tea cup.
We can only offer advice to follow on the ‘if it were mine’ principle, and it’s obviously up to the poster to chose whether to follow it or reject it.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do Mark, but please keep us up to date on progress.
Kind regards,
Gareth.