A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found there were 334,327 excess deaths beyond the expected number in England, Wales and Scotland over the eight-year period. These excess deaths can be attributed to spending cuts to public services and benefits introduced by a UK government pursuing austerity policies, according to the academic study.
The authors of the study suggest additional deaths between 2012 and 2019 – prior to the Covid pandemic – reflect an increase in people dying prematurely after experiencing reduced income, ill-health, poor nutrition and housing, and social isolation.
Previously improving mortality trends started to change for the worse after austerity policies introduced in 2010 when tens of billions of pounds began to be cut from public spending by the Tory-led coalition government, the study said.
Full story in The Guardian, 5 October 2022