Starmer Delivers State Apology for Forced Adoptions
The Prime Minister formally apologised on behalf of the state to survivors of forced adoption, telling the Commons: “The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours.” An estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976. A £4m package will fund adoption-records access, family-reunion services and testimonial research over three years, though there is no compensation scheme. Survivors watched from the public gallery, where many wept.
The apology reverses the position taken in 2023, when ministers refused on the grounds that the state had not actively supported the practices — a distinction today’s statement abandoned; Wales and Scotland apologised three years ago. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said “this was wrong, and we are sorry”, calling the apology “the start of real change”, and the Education Committee has told ministers to rigorously assess the Australian and Irish redress schemes, which attached money to their words. As one of Starmer’s final major acts as caretaker Prime Minister, it settles a moral ledger his successor will inherit in financial form. Watch the redress question.