Historical forced adoption – where many unmarried mothers had their babies taken from them in the decades after the Second World War – is a “stain on our history”, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said as he formally apologised in Parliament on behalf of the state.
Sir Keir’s formal apology came after he met with campaigners in Downing Street on Thursday morning.
The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) called for a state apology in 2022, saying “the Government bears ultimate responsibility for the pain and suffering caused by public institutions and state employees that railroaded mothers into unwanted adoptions”.
Mothers forced to give up their babies have previously described the harrowing experiences of having them taken away and the lingering feelings of shame, while adults who were removed as children from their mothers have spoken of a “harmful narrative” which long persisted that adoption had saved them.
It was confirmed last month by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson that a long-campaigned for apology was coming in relation to what she called a “shameful period in our history”.
The Westminster apology comes three years after administrations in Cardiff and Holyrood said sorry to people impacted across Wales and Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, an apology is also expected but not until after a public inquiry has been carried out, following a recommendation from a 2021 report on mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses.
Despite the JCHR report recommending ministers apologise, the then-Conservative government in 2023 said while it was sorry “on behalf of society” for the way the women had been treated, it did not think a formal apology appropriate “since the state did not actively support these practices”.
Two weeks ago, the Church of England apologised for its role in forced adoptions, telling survivors the “shame is ours”.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally said the impact on families had been “lifelong” for many and noted survivors having 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”.
Campaigners have previously called for a state apology to contain an acknowledgement of wrongdoing, acceptance of responsibility, expression of remorse or regret and an assurance that the harm will not be repeated.
In a committee hearing earlier this year MPs were told by campaigners that, alongside an apology, more support was needed for mothers and adoptees, including fast-tracking them for trauma-informed counselling as well as better access to their records.
The apology comes almost exactly two years after a key campaigner, whose daughter was taken from her as a baby in the 1960s, died.
Veronica Smith, who died on June 29 2024, co-founded the Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA), in 2010 to seek justice for all those who had suffered.
Current MAA chairwoman Diana Defries, said the state apology would be tinged with sadness as some mothers who “worked tirelessly” in their calls for one will not be around to hear it.
Ms Defries – who had not long turned 17 when her own baby daughter was forcibly adopted in the 1970s – said it is “so sad” Ms Smith did not live to see the Westminster Government finally issue an apology.
She added that some other long-time campaigners are now too frail to be part of the day.
Ms Defries this week told the Press Association: “Campaigners have been working for decades, long before me. And the worst part is that I stepped into a dead woman’s shoes to keep it going and it’s a tragedy for me personally and obviously for her family that she’s not here.
“It’s hugely poignant.
“It’s great that they (the Government) are actually doing something and that they’re acknowledging this injustice but it’s so sad that these people who worked tirelessly for a very long time won’t be part of it.”
