Starmer offers state apology for forced adoption of 185,000 babies in England and Wales

The apology in Parliament

Keir Starmer addressed the House of Commons on Thursday to deliver an unequivocal apology for the historical practice of forced adoptions. "The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours," he said, speaking directly to the tens of thousands of mothers affected. The statement marks the first time the UK government has formally accepted institutional responsibility, after previous administrations had expressed regret but stopped short of a full apology. Starmer called the system a "stain on our history" and acknowledged that the state "did not do enough to protect mothers, children and families from harm."

The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours.

Scale of the forced adoption system

Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were separated from their biological mothers in England and Wales. Most of the women were young, unmarried, and pregnant outside marriage, facing intense social and institutional pressure. Starmer said the practices were embedded "across local authorities, across voluntary and faith-based institutions and in health and social care services." The parliamentary human rights committee, which documented the abuses in 2022, described the treatment of expectant mothers as "inhumane" and "cruel." Mothers reported being denied pain relief during labour as punishment and having newborns taken from them immediately after birth.

Personal accounts of trauma

The apology brought little comfort to some families. Steve Hindley, whose wife Judith gave birth at St Monica's Maternity Home in Kendal in 1964 after being raped, said the apology did not go far enough. Their son Stephen was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and died weeks later after being refused care; an academic report concluded he was left to die because his disability made him unattractive for adoption. Judith Hindley took her own life in 2006 near her son's unmarked grave. "I'm very disappointed to be honest," Steve Hindley said. "Why didn't they apologise to the ladies whose babies died?"

I'm very disappointed to be honest, I thought this was the end of it, but why didn't they apologise to the ladies whose babies died?

Government measures and next steps

The government announced a £4 million package over three years to support those affected, focused on creating a single online access point for adoption records, funding services that help reunite families, and researching the long-term effects of forced adoption. No financial compensation was offered. Starmer also said a consultation would be held to ensure existing archives are preserved for 100 years. Conservative MP Alex Burghart called the forced adoptions "a stain on our history" that had left a lasting mark on everyone involved.

A long campaign for recognition

The apology follows years of campaigning by mothers, adoptees, and their families, as well as a series of parliamentary reports. In 2023, Rishi Sunak's government rejected a recommendation from the parliamentary human rights committee for an official apology. The Church of England issued its own apology in June for running "mother and baby homes" where women were often held against their will. Other countries have offered similar apologies: Australia in 2013 and Ireland in 2021, both accompanied by compensation schemes. Starmer met with a group of survivors at Downing Street before his speech, praising their "extraordinary courage" in repeatedly fighting for the truth.