‘Stain on our history’: Starmer issues government apology over forced adoption scandal – UK politics live
03.39 EDTStarmer to issue formal apology to mothers and children harmed by historic forced adoption policiesGood morning. The mother and baby homes involved were mostly run by religious organisations, but councils were involved in placing children for adoption.In March the Commons education committee said the government should issue a formal apology. The prime minister is expected to stand in the Commons and acknowledge the harm caused when an estimated 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.
- ▪03.39 EDTStarmer to issue formal apology to mothers and children harmed by historic forced adoption policiesGood morning.
- ▪The mother and baby homes involved were mostly run by religious organisations, but councils were involved in placing children for adoption.In March the Commons education committee said the government should issue a formal apology.
- ▪The prime minister is expected to stand in the Commons and acknowledge the harm caused when an estimated 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.
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| Original publisher | World news | The Guardian |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jul/02/keir-starmer-apology-forced-adoption-labour-andy-burnham-uk-politics-latest-news-updates |
| Publication time | Thu, 02 Jul 2026 11:18:44 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-02T10:01:49.115Z |
| Last seen | 2026-07-02T11:28:30.603Z |
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03.39 EDTStarmer to issue formal apology to mothers and children harmed by historic forced adoption policiesGood morning. Keir Starmer is clearing the decks in his last three weeks in office, and today he is going to settle one unresolved issue when he delivers a formal apology on behalf of the state to victims of forced adoption policies that were in place in the middle of the last century.Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption in England and Wales as a result of a culture of shame surrounding pregnancy outside marriage.
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