I have maxed- out,
What I was trying to say was that there are aspects of an MEP flight test (The VFR parts) which are not covered in a IR flight test when renewing/ revalidating. These same parts are not able to be done in a simulator either hence only being able to renew the MEP in the aircraft. Because of this you can either do a joint MEP/ IR flight test for the revalidation or do two separate ones if doing your IR in the sim.
Technically you are flying on your examiners licence during the test so you do not need a valid MEP to get your IR sorted. I do see your point about is being counter productive and pointless for us, however I believe this is the way the CAA have chosen to keep it as there are allot of people who fly MEP's VFR.
Hope you get clarification on your situation soon and look forward to hearing about your findings.