Social Murder?: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK

Life expectancy has increased in the UK more or less constantly for more than a century. Around 2012, this all stopped, and among poorer populations, it actually went in reverse. In some parts of the UK, the change to premature mortality rates (death under the age of 65 years) has been nothing short of astonishing. This is the starting premise of David Walsh and Gerry McCartney's new book, Social Murder? Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK. 

The authors, from the University of Glasgow, demonstrate how evidence shows that these extraordinary changes to life expectancy and mortality rates have been mainly caused by UK government policies implemented in 2010 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. This is all carefully evidenced, showing what happened, when it changed and who was most affected. While we often bandy around the word austerity, the scale of the cuts to UK government spending is poorly understood. By 2019, annual spending was down by around £91 billion compared to pre-austerity levels. To put that in context, that’s more than the GDP of entire countries like Croatia, Bulgaria and even Oman. Over the period 2010–19, the cuts add up to a total reduction of approximately £540 billion. These are changes on an extraordinary level.

While the authors provide a mass of statistical and other data to make a case that was downplayed by many public health organisations, they also tell the stories of how austerity impacted individuals through case studies. These also show how the coalition government introduced a policy of vilification and demonisation of people in receipt of social security benefits. One case study highlights the impact on so many, "Moira was now terminally ill. But even that was not enough to satisfy the DWP. One of her daughters, Nichole, was told in a ‘cruel and heartless’ phone call that they would not believe Moira was terminally ill unless they were told by a doctor that she only had a few weeks left to live. They had requested evidence from the general practitioner (GP), they said. The GP told Nichole they had received no such request. In August 2015, one month after her cancer diagnosis, Moira died. She was 61 years old."

There are also startling non-public health statistics that illustrate the arguments. For example, in 2010/11, the Trussell Trust, the largest food bank provider in the UK, had only 35 food banks across England; by 2019/20, they had almost 1,300.

They don't deny the impact of other factors on life expectancy, such as COVID-19, obesity, and inflation. However, they point out that the trends pre-dated COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis - austerity made them worse. As with the title from an apt Friedrich Engels quote, they don't mince words, "Put more bluntly, poverty kills. And austerity has increased poverty levels in the UK." Austerity kills through physical and mental illness, and children are impacted the most. The book also looks at the international evidence, showing that the greater the austerity implemented by those governments, the worse the life expectancy and mortality trends. They also criticise public health agencies – most notably PHE and the WHO, for not raising the alarm that austerity policies were causing life expectancy to stop improving overall and causing it to fall rapidly in the most deprived communities, which they argue 'is a dereliction of duty', and lessons need to be learned.

If mortality rates are to improve, the new UK Labour government and other governments worldwide must understand the evidence, quickly reverse the erosion of public services and social security systems and protect those at greatest risk. The authors conclude, "If poverty in a wealthy country is a political choice, as Philip Alston so eloquently pointed out, then so too is no poverty. It is not only within the gift of our political leaders to achieve this: it is surely their moral obligation." It is not just governments; we all have a responsibility: "To really change our politics we need to be active citizens: building campaigns and protests; creating and supporting institutions and organisations that can help."

The recent budget was a start, as the impact analysis below is the reverse of the austerity years. However, as I argued in my Budget blog, this direction change must be sustained. If you want the evidence, look no further than this excellent book.