" Increases in life expectancy in the UK have stalled and the slowdown is one of the biggest among 20 of the world's leading economies, ONS data shows. Rises in life expectancy dropped from 12.9 weeks per year for women from 2006 to 2011 to 1.2 weeks per year from 2011 to 2016, its report found. This increase in life expectancy for women was the lowest of the 20 nations, while for men only the US was worse. There was also a slowdown in other countries across Europe and Australia." The ONS's analysis found the slowdown in life-expectancy improvement in the UK was most pronounced in women, dropping by 90% from 12.9 weeks per year from 2006 to 2011 to 1.2 weeks from 2011 to 2012 - the biggest reduction in all of the countries it analysed." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45096074 also in most of major papers. Will be interesting to see the reasons the stats bodies come up with. Speculate away!
That whole country is busy committing national suicide, this is just one of the markers. You did say you wanted speculation ;-)
My speculation is that it's due to austerity. Slashing the funding available for social care (I.e. care homes and in-home care for those struggling to cope) and the NHS has inevitably had its consequences, and this is one of them. But at least we made sure that hardly any bankers lost their jobs, now that would have been the real tragedy..
Seems like the US and UK already are among the nations with the longest life-expectancy. If you assume that maximum lifespan is not all that elastic, the rate of increase is eventually going to slow down for those already near the top. Personally, I'm packing my bags for Monaco.