BBC NEWS ONLINE: Life expectancy progress in UK 'stops for first time'

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Dr Kingsley Purdam, senior lecturer in social research methods and statistics at the University of Manchester, said the figures were "shocking".

"Poverty, austerity and cuts to public services are impacting on how long people are living in the UK," he said.

"We all need to look after our health but many of us, including the most vulnerable populations, need help at a time when evidence suggests that services are being cut.

"The lost years of life have an impact not just on the individual but on those people who are ultimately left behind including partners, children and grandchildren."