England ‘had highest number of excess deaths in Europe’

ENGLAND had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe across the first half of 2020, according to new analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The country experienced the longest continuous period of excess deaths as well as the highest levels, a comparison of 23 European countries found.

It is the first time the ONS has compared mortality rates in different countries to measure the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

By the week ending May 29, England had a relative cumulative age-standardised mortality rate of 7.55% – meaning it was 7.55% higher than the average mortality rate between 2015 and 2019.

Spain ranked second at 6.65%, followed by Scotland (5.11%), Belgium (3.89%) and Wales (2.78%).

Edward Morgan, from the ONS’s health analysis and life events division, said the first half of 2020 saw “extraordinary increases” in mortality rates across Western Europe, when compared with the average over the past five years.

He said excess mortality was geographically widespread and prolonged in the UK, adding: “Combined with the relatively slow downward ‘tail’ of the pandemic in the UK, this meant that, by the end of May, England had seen the highest overall relative excess mortality out of all the European countries compared.”

Asked if he was ashamed of the findings, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the nation “has had a massive success” in reducing the number of deaths.

During a visit to North Yorkshire, he said: “We mourn every loss of life that we’ve had throughout the coronavirus epidemic. What I would say to them [families of the deceased] is that we really owe it to them to continue our work in driving the virus down. Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths.

“But... we’re looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other European countries. You can see what’s been happening in the United States.”

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth described the Office for National Statistics analysis suggesting England had the worst death rate in Europe as a “devastating moment”.

“We can no longer hide from the fact the Government has not handled this crisis well and needs to urgently learn lessons from its mistakes,” he added.