Was the health secretary right to claim ‘we’re living longer’?

2 June 2024

Another claim that the health secretary Victoria Atkins made on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme this morning, when asked  why waiting lists have risen since 2010, was that “we’re living longer”.

While over the long term, life expectancy has increased, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures don’t show it’s risen since 2010. (This was pointed out on the programme in a ‘Fact check’ section at the end.)

Between 2010 and 2012, life expectancy at birth for females was 82.57 years. This peaked at 83.01 years between 2017 and 2019, but fell back to 82.57 years in the most recent data.

For men, it’s actually fallen slightly, from 78.70 years in 2010 to 2012, to 78.57 in the most recent data (for 2020 to 2022). 

We’ve asked the Conservatives about Ms Atkins’s claim and what she was referring to and will update our liveblog if we hear back.

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