Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has offered a formal state apology for the historical forced adoption of babies from unmarried mothers in the decades after the Second World War, branding the practice a 'stain on our history.' In a statement to Parliament on Thursday, he told survivors: 'The shame was never yours, the shame is ours.'
Apology in Parliament
Women whose babies had been taken from them watched from the gallery as the Prime Minister delivered the apology on behalf of the Government. Some were seen wiping away tears. The apology comes after years of campaigning by mothers and adoptees, who have described the harrowing experience of having their children taken away and the lingering feelings of shame.
While there is no exact figure, an estimated 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976, according to campaign groups.
Double Injustice
At a meeting with campaigners in Downing Street ahead of the statement, Sir Keir told the women they had suffered a 'double injustice' in having had to wait so long for a state apology. The Joint Committee on Human Rights recommended such an apology in 2022, stating that 'the Government bears ultimate responsibility for the pain and suffering caused by public institutions and state employees that railroaded mothers into unwanted adoptions.'
However, the then-Conservative government in 2023 said it was sorry 'on behalf of society' but did not think a formal apology appropriate 'since the state did not actively support these practices.'
Systemic Failures
In his speech, Sir Keir told MPs that what happened to 'tens of thousands of mothers, children, and families, should never have happened.' He added: 'It is a stain on our history. Mothers, many young, vulnerable and without support, were coerced, bullied, or misled into feeling that they had no choice but to have their children taken away from them. What a thing to do.'
He emphasised that these were 'not isolated or accidental acts, they were practices embedded within systems across local authorities, across voluntary and faith-based institutions, and in health and social care services, including parts of what is now the NHS. All institutions that operated with power over people's lives, yet they did so without compassion, without consent, and without dignity or proper safeguards.'
The practices were 'particularly prevalent between 1949 and 1976, but also extended beyond those years,' he said.
Campaigner Reactions
The Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA) said the formal apology recognises the 'lifelong trauma' endured by mothers who had their babies forcibly adopted, paying tribute to the 'determined women' who long pushed for the apology. The campaign group, founded in 2010, said: 'Though this apology has come too late for a significant number of people, it is a positive step for the hundreds of thousands of mothers still living with loss, whose suffering has at last been acknowledged, and for the children who were taken – now adult adoptees – whose lifelong trauma has now been recognised.'
Meanwhile, the Adult Adoptee Movement said the apology is for 'the adoptees who were taken at their most vulnerable and sent to strangers.' They noted that children suffered through loss of 'their wider family, medical history, culture, language or nationality,' while some 'suffered abuse, neglect or racism in their adoptive homes; who grew up hearing they were from 'bad blood', should be 'grateful', or had been 'saved'.' They added: 'It marks a fundamental correction of the narrative on historic adoption practices. What happened to you was wrong.'
Previous Apologies
Devolved administrations in Cardiff and Holyrood issued formal apologies in 2023. The Westminster apology comes two weeks after one from the Church of England, when its leading bishop told survivors the 'shame is ours.' Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally said the impact on families had been 'lifelong' for many and noted survivors had spoken of the 'indignity' they faced. She apologised for the 'pain, trauma and stigma' caused to those affected, adding that there was a deep shame that the practice had happened to people 'in the care of Christian communities.'
