Facts

Matt Hancock told the House of Commons 27 January that “life expectancy is rising” when discussing the NHS Funding Bill.

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, which calculates life expectancy on behalf of the UK pensions industry, cut forecast life expectancy by five months in analysis from 2019.  

Compared with 2015, projections for life expectancy are now down by 13 months for men and 14 months for women. ONS figures also show that in comparison with the 2016-based projections, cohort life expectancy at birth is 2.6 years lower for males and 2.7 years lower for females in 2043 than previously projected.

Debbie Abrahams MP, then shadow Pensions Minister, called for Matt Hancock to correct the record in February 2020. He failed to do so.

Verdict

Matt Hancock made a false assertion. His full statement remains on the Commons record in defiance of the Ministerial Code.

When we asked Matt Hancock to respond to the claims laid out in this website, a spokesperson said: “This list is false, wildly inaccurate, and in some cases possibly even defamatory. For example claiming that some of Matt's claims in the Commons were in defiance of the ministerial code, when they were in fact accurate. The priority throughout this unprecedented pandemic has been saving lives.”