I doubt it. This is a research paper which has no relevance to this thread.
Back on topic please.
The HbA1c simply shows the average blood sugar over the past 60 days. It shows when your insulin system is wearing out. In early diabetes the level of insulin is actually high as the body can't use it, and later it falls. It is a very common problem
You do not need drugs. Oral drugs do not help the progression of the disease and are only given if the blood sugar itself is high. We need to reduce the stress or load on the insulin system so that it doesn't give up to the extent that you need insulin
Most important is reducing carbohydrate - bread, pasta, rice. Protein is super. Obviously reduce your refined sugar but this is less important. In terms of weight, unless you are truly bariatric, you merely need to reduce your waist measurement. For Caucasian males we want under 42 inches. Exercise - 20 minutes breathlessness twice a week - will help and may reverse early diabetes.
The biggest risk is heart disease so all type 2 diabetics must be assessed for hypertension and if present it must be treated. Statins are vital if tolerated
This is the medical approach. The 'NHS' definitions are simply publications often by non doctors. The CAA make their own rules. I personally think there is considerable difficulty in defining when the HbA1c shows diabetes, and prefer to monitor patients every 6-12 months. If the trend is upwards that is the time to act, not at a certain number.
My advice would be not to take drugs for your blood sugar at this stage, as that will lead to the CAA setting down requirements as posted above. The CAA are clearly using a sledgehammer as they want the tests you mention when simple blood pressure measurement is the necessary screening tool but hopefully you will be ok and then you simply need to manage your lifestyle and follow your HbA1c
Please do let us know how you get on. I am sure I am not the only one interested in whether the regulator concurs