Cost of Living: Low Life Expectancy and Loss of lives.

March 2026, article by Sylvie Rouhani, Deputy Editor, Taxpayers Against Poverty  

Since 2010, subsequent governments have pushed austerity policies, specifically aimed at the most vulnerable people in the UK. Millions are pushed into severe poverty. With the Spring Budget ahead, it is time look at the real Cost of Living Crisis: the loss of human life.

Poor Healthy Life Expectancy

The Cost of Living Crisis is the term describing the increasing financial difficulties UK citizens have experienced since 2010, caused by a financial crisis, low wages, high rent, high taxes for working class and poor people, as well as a lack of affordable and social housing, severe cuts to education and health services.

On 19 February 2026, in its latest Healthy Life expectancy report, the ONS found that healthy life expectancy (HLE) is at its lowest. More people than ever are living in poor health. Men can expect to live 18 years of their lives in poor health. Women can expect to live 22.5, in poor health.

All of those measures resulting in the real cost of the living crisis: lower life expectancy and the increasing loss of human life. In 2025,an IZA, Institute of Labor Economics’ Discussion Paper “The Impact of Austerity on Mortality and Life Expectancy” finds the austerity policies reduced life expectancy by a three year setback, between 2010 and 2019. An equivalent of 190 000 excess deaths. UK citizens have lost between 2.5 and 5 months of life expectancy, since 2019, with women more affected than men.

Already under duress, the NHS has never recovered from the COVID-19 epidemic. Patients experience delays and setback getting their treatment. With low wages and lack of adequate financial support, many are pushed beyond their physical and emotional limits.

Deaths by suicide linked to DWP’s managing of benefits claims.

The National Audit Office – NAO, has published a damming report: since 2014-15, 69 deaths by suicides have been linked to the DWP’s mishandling of benefit claims. It highlights the fact that DWP has no robust record of contact from coroners, nor are there clear means for coroners to inform DWPs of their findings. The Department staff isn’t always aware of its Internal Process Review guidance, and the guidance doesn’t highlight the full list of issues that could trigger an IPR. Therefore, there are strong chances that the number of deaths by suicide is much higher than the recorded sixty-nine cases, for the past 6 years.

DWP has only recently been more initiative-taking in conducting IPRs for cases linked to claimant’s suicide, as cases reached public scrutiny. There is a clear lack of safeguarding issues and lack of accountability, and a lack of compassion, which results in claimants to lose hope.

The Nicolson Report offers achievable solutions for all.

Published last month, The Nicolson Report- Poverty Benefits No-One.- offers the recommendations addressing all the issues faced ordinary citizens, and that are the root causes of the lowering of life expectancy and the loss of lives, including:

1.    Guarantee the essentials – restore adequacy to social security.

2.    Make work pay and be rewarded.

3.    Boost support for families with children.

4.    Support unpaid carers and people with disabilities.

5.    Ensuring housing affordability and security

6.    Strengthen the safety net and crisis support.

7.    Make local taxation more aggressive.

8.    Tax extreme wealth and unearned income.

9.    Monitor progress and enforce accountability.

Briefly, extreme wealth needs to be taxed and redirected where it matters: in giving security, support, and accessible resources for all. The poor, the sick, the elderly and young adults all need safe places to land, adequate income to thrive and a supportive environment to live in. Every life matters.

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 For media enquiries, interviews, or comment: Tom Burgess, CEO, TAP / 0044 7887 724285 Email: tom@taxpayersagainstpoverty.org

Simon Thomson, Director of Communications and Campaigns, TAP / 0044 7941 679353

Email: simon@taxpayersagainstpoverty.org 

Website: www.taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk 

About Taxpayers Against Poverty Taxpayers against Poverty is a UK-based independent advocacy group dedicated to tackling poverty, inequality, and economic injustice TAP seeks to influence national and local policy by promoting practical economic proposals that have a positive effect on reducing poverty and unnecessary financial hardship using a direct approach to decision makers and other influencers.

TAP was founded by the late Rev Paul Nicolson and is led by Tom Burgess, author of From Here to Prosperity, a new political agenda for a sustainable economy and greater social justice, which proposes taxing wealth more and income less. TAP’s sister organisation is Compassion in Politics which seeks to bring more honesty, respect and compassion into political life.

Sylvie Rouhani, Deputy Editor, Taxpayers Against Poverty - March 2026