Labour vows to reverse rise in suicides in England and Wales within five years

A Labour government would reverse the rise in the number of deaths from suicide as part of a health plan to replace pain and anxiety with a “hope of a renewed NHS”, Keir Starmer will pledge.

In a speech today, the Labour leader will say his plan for reforming the NHS will focus on the biggest causes of death in the UK including suicide.

He will point to coroners’ statistics showing that deaths from suicides have been rising since 2008, and reached a record high last year in England and Wales. If the party takes power Labour will reverse this rise within five years, Starmer will say.

A segment of his speech previewed by the party says: “Suicide is the biggest killer of young lives in this country. The biggest killer. That statistic should haunt us. And the rate is going up. Our mission must be and will be to get it down.”

Labour has not provided details on how it proposes to meet this pledge other than an aspiration to shift from “sickness to prevention”.

Starmer will also propose introducing new NHS targets on cutting deaths in England from heart disease and strokes by a quarter over 10 years.

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Source: The Guardian, 21 May 2023