Pre-conference webinar ‘Social Murder?: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK’

Read about our pre-conference webinar where experts discussed how austerity has reduced UK life expectancy and called for urgent action.

“Austerity has been a political choice that has harmed an astonishing number of people”

Dr David Walsh

This webinar, chaired by Sara Redmond, Chief Officer of Development at the ALLIANCE, featured Professor Gerry McCartney and Dr. David Walsh, authors of “Social Murder?: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK”. Both authors bring extensive research experience in public health: Dr. David Walsh is a Senior Lecturer in Health Inequalities at the University of Glasgow, and Professor Gerry McCartney is Professor of Wellbeing Economy at the University of Glasgow. During this webinar, the authors discussed evidence of how the health of the UK population is in decline due to austerity policies implemented over the last decade.

Dr. Walsh provided an overview of their book’s findings. The data reveals a troubling trend: life expectancy in England, Scotland, and Wales, which had been consistently improving since the early 20th century (except during pandemics and world wars), has declined dramatically over the past decade. This decline has been particularly severe for people living in poorer, more deprived areas who are now dying at a much younger age. Walsh emphasised that life expectancy is both a key measure of population health and a marker of societal progress, illustrating not only how long people live on overage but also how they are looked after by society.

This dramatic reversal in life expectancy improvement began around 2010, coinciding with the implementation of austerity policies by the UK’s conservative coalition government. The cuts to public spending affected social services and reduced social security benefits that serve as safety nets for the most vulnerable. As a result, mortality rates for those in more difficult positions increased, with people dying younger and at higher rates, according to evidence presented in the book. An existing body of research evidences the impact of austerity policies in health outcomes both in the UK and internationally.

Dr Walsh discussed how the UK has come to be in this situation and outlined some contributing circumstances, such as the role of influential organisations with ties to power who have downplayed the evidence of austerity’s impact on mortality rates and life expectancy, thus neglecting their public health duties. This allowed the UK government continue implementing cuts to social services that harm the UK population. To conclude, Dr Walsh highlighted the need to utilise this evidence to reverse cuts to social services and call for investment in public social services and to reduce health inequalities.

“It is vital that the UK government understands the evidence of the harm that austerity policies do and take action”

Dr David Walsh

In the latter part of the webinar, the authors answered responses from the audience and engaged in conversation on various topics related to the book. One of the main topics discussed was how to influence policy and public opinion to make necessary political change happen.

Professor McCartney identified self-censorship by organisations close to power and their unwillingness to investigate or publish anything that is considered political as a barrier to influencing public perceptions. He emphasised that political change requires generating social power through collective organising—including community groups, trade unions, political parties and other social groups—to change the narrative around austerity and collectively demand political change.

This thought provoking webinar draw important conclusions for those working in health and social care in Scotland and the UK: that health inequalities are a political matter and thus to combat them we require political change.

The book ‘Social Murder?: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK’ can be purchased here with all proceeding going to NHS charities.

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