Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a formal apology in parliament for the British state's role in past forced adoptions. Following decades of campaigning by affected mothers and children, the Prime Minister stated that the state did not do enough to protect them, acknowledging the harm caused.
Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers in England and Wales and placed for adoption. This practice was driven by a culture of shame surrounding pregnancy outside of marriage. While mother and baby homes were mostly run by religious organisations, councils were involved in the placements. Campaigners have long fought for acknowledgement that women were pressured, deceived, and threatened into giving up their children.
Describing the scandal as a systemic failure and a stain on history, Starmer said the shame belongs to the state and expressed that he was deeply and profoundly sorry. He announced extra funding to help survivors access adoption records and reconnect with biological families. However, the Prime Minister stopped short of offering immediate compensation to affected mothers and their offspring.
This apology marks a shift from the previous Conservative government, which had declined to apologize by arguing that the state had not supported these practices. Starmer has now formally acknowledged the government's role in these historical forced adoptions.