Experts warn of drop in life expectancy

 Life expectancy is falling, Oxford University experts have warned, saying the trends could hit the middle class the hardest.

Writing in the BMJ, they revealed a 13 per cent rise in death rates in the first months of this year in England and Wales.

They said the “awful” increases in death rates in recent years had forced the Office for National Statistics to revise its forecasts, reducing predicted lifespans by almost a full year.

The latest projections estimate that by 2041, life expectancy for women will be 86.2 years – a drop from the 86.9 years estimated two years before. For men, 84.1 years dropped to 83.4 years.

Prof Danny Dorling, from Oxford University, said “This will affect the middle classes as they tend to live longer. The relatively well-off will tend to get to older ages, but that is where the gains are expected to be lost.”