Directing a barb at protesters, who he referred to as "our crusty friends outside", Mr Johnson listed Conservative policies he claimed were benefitting the poor by cutting crime, pollution and raising life expectancy.
As I report more fully in my story here, the project that arranged the work and trained the women to make a sustainable living from their savings is one of many that has helped Bangladesh, slowly but steadily, reduce poverty, illiteracy and infant mortality while raising life expectancy and bringing population growth under control.
China is easing its one child policy and, he says, "Russia has had some success in raising life expectancy with much smarter policies about alcohol consumption".
The epidemiological transition that took place in the western world with the introduction of modern public health measures was crucial in reducing epidemic diseases and raising life expectancy, but these measures have benefited non-indigenous populations more than indigenous peoples (2).
Life expectancy at birth is rising more rapidly in the least healthy countries, because mortality decline among children raises life expectancy more than does mortality decline among adults (which predominates in rich countries).
The Finns had merely to raise life expectancy.
Medical breakthroughs may continue to raise life expectancy beyond the levels built into population forecasts.What can be done?
Inequality is high in both countries, but China has done far more than India to raise life expectancy, expand general education and secure health care for its people.
But a push for prevention, tests and, since 2003, anti-retroviral treatment (ART) has slowed the spread of the virus and raised life expectancy to 49, although Swaziland still has the world's highest HIV rate, with nearly a third of adults infected.
"It does raise the expectancy levels when you see the team-sheet but we knew what to expect," said the Burnley manager "In saying that, they still had Jerzy Dudek, Sami Hyypia, Igor Biscan and Djimi Traoré out there, and we'd take any of the younger players on loan.
