looking at an article from 2019 about drop in life expectancy in UK before Covid ever became a thing. https://thecorrespondent.com/837/the-biggest-story-in-the-uk-is-not-brexit-its-life-expectancy

Prior to 2019, there was a 20 year period of policy that tolerated growing inequality, compounded by austerity started in 2010. A consistent period of compounded lack of care for the old or the poor or the health service. Then Brexit was used as the distraction in 2016.

The EU was not on anyone's radar in 2016 UK.

This is a classic example of how the media and govt colluded to tell a nation what to think about while they are being hammered from every angle. Old women and babies were dying at greater rates than ever because of politicians' policies, meanwhile politicians were blaming morality rates on the weather.