Research Question: What is the relationship between the Brexit Vote, swing to the Conservative Party and the burden of disease amongst working age populations in England?

This study examined the relationship between recent political events and the burden of disease amongst prople of working age in England.

Using data from the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Survey, the number of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per 100,000 people of working age (16-69 years) was calculated for each local authority in England. Additionally, the proportion of DALYs which were due to 'Diseases of Despair' were calculated.

A clear positive correlation is observed between the proportion of local authorities voting to leave the EU and the vote swing to the Conservative party since 2010. Those regions which are predominanlty voted 'Remain' in 2016 also saw little swing to the Conservatives and have lower disease burden. Conversely, many of the local authorities which formed the 'Red Wall' of seats overturned in the election are found to have far higher burden of disease amongst people of working age.