“What a damning indictment of Tory austerity. Only Labour will ensure that no one and no community is left behind.”
Steve Turner, Unite & Labour Assembly Against Austerity
Leading campaigners have spoken to ‘Labour Outlook’ in response to a shock report that reveals the poorest areas have seen an ‘unprecedented’ rise in infant mortality over the last four years. Shockingly, researchers found that from 2014 to 2017 there were 572 excess infant deaths than what would have been previously expected based on trends.
The research team from Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle universities grouped 324 local authorities into five categories based on how affluent or deprived they were. They found a ‘sustained and unprecedented’ rise in infant mortality from 2014 to 2017 that was not experienced evenly across the country. In the most deprived areas, infant mortality rose – leading to an additional 24 infant deaths per 100,000 live births per year.
Former NUT General Secretary Christine Blower – soon to be a Labour member of the House of Lords – said “We have always known that class and family income affect the earliest of children’s years. Today’s news that infant mortality is rising to record levels in the poorest parts of this country, the fifth richest country in the world, is further evidence that we need a government for the millions not the millionaires. “
Steve Turner, Unite Assistant General Secretary and Labour Assembly Against Austerity Co-Chair, said “What a damning indictment of Tory austerity. Only Labour will invest in – and bring together – all of our nations and regions, and ensure that no one and no community is left behind.”
Ramona McCartney of the Peoples Assembly Against Austerity commented, “How is it that the 5th richest economy on the planet has an infant mortality that has risen for the 4th consecutive year?
Well, we don’t have to look very far to find the answer. This is a direct result of child poverty created by crippling austerity delivered by a cruel Tory Government.
The latest study proves poorest areas of the country are disproportionately affected by the rise in infant mortality while more affluent areas are unaffected.
Under the Tories the gap between rich and poor is spreading at an alarming rate, inequality is rife and a society that resembles the Victorian era becoming a reality for so many. The only way out to get rid of the Tories and replace them with an anti austerity Government.”
