Jeremy Corbyn: Tory austerity has ‘almost certainly’ increased death rate
2 min read
The Conservative austerity programme has “almost certainly” increased the death rate in Britain, Jeremy Corbyn has declared.
In an astonishing attack, the Labour leader said the near-decade long agenda of cuts to public services were having a “devastating” effect on society.
And he urged voters to “strike a blow” against Tory policy by voting Labour in the local elections held across England today.
Mr Corbyn said there were more than 10,000 extra deaths in the first seven weeks of the year compared with the same period over the previous five years, according to official figures.
In an article for The Mirror, he said Professor Danny Dorling and Lucinda Hiam, who carried out the research, “strongly implied” that the 12% rise was down to underfunding in the NHS and social care system.
And he said the infant mortality rate was rising for the second year in a row, according to the Nuffield Trust.
The Labour boss fumed: “Tory austerity has almost certainly increased the death rate. Tomorrow, we can strike a blow against these deadly policies.
“The full consequences of eight years of cruel and counter-productive Tory austerity are devastating.”
And he added: “Tomorrow’s local elections are a chance to send an unmistakable message to this heartless and incompetent Tory Government.
“We can strike a blow against these deadly and failed policies and say enough of eight years of Tory austerity.
“We can push back against Tory cuts which are taking even Tory-run councils to the brink of collapse.
“And we can show that a fairer country is both possible and essential.”
The NHS budget is set to grow by 1.2% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2020/21 - far slower than the average 4% increase per year since the NHS was founded.
Meanwhile, spending on social care by councils has fallen by £1.3bn in real terms between 2010 and the end of 2017/18.
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