UK’s cost of living crisis will cause thousands of premature deaths, study says

Study in the journal BMJ Public Health suggests premature deaths will rise 6.5% this year

The cost of living crisis will probably cause thousands of premature deaths in the UK and significantly widen the wealth and health gap between the richest and poorest, a study has suggested.

Millions of Britons have been hit hard with levels of inflation not seen since the 1970s as a result of the war in Ukraine, Covid, Brexit and economic policy. Poorer households have borne the brunt as they spend a larger proportion of their income on energy, the cost of which has soared.