This article at the Mail on Sunday online discusses life expectancy slowdown and recent improvements according to ONS data.
"...A potential cause for the slowdown, one expert suggested, could be the impact of Government austerity measures introduced after the Conservatives took power in 2010.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, a renowned public health expert and professor at University College London, told MailOnline: 'What the latest figures show is a hint of encouragement – which is always grounds for optimism – but, in essence, the slowdown in improvement in life expectancy which began in 2011 has continued.
'We had a new government elected in 2010 and that has led to speculation about whether policies of austerity have led to the changes. It's a question we must ask and worry about, and I'm open to the possibility that it might have.
'One thing that we do see is that inequalities in health are getting bigger, which suggests inequalities in social conditions are getting wider, which is alarming.'
Sir Michael said government cuts may be impeding efforts to help people live healthier lives, and that social conditions such as early child development, education, working conditions and the environment must be in good shape before people's health can be..."