THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

‘Hugely significant’: those affected by forced adoptions welcome apology but demand more remedy <p>Victims say hearing Keir Starmer’s acknowledgement of their suffering was emotional but want more mental support</p><p>This summer’s World Cup fever vividly takes Ann Keen back to 1966 and the day England won the tournament – she was 17 years old and it was the day she told her father she was pregnant.</p><p>“It was the worst thing that could ever have been said to him. I was told I’d put shame on the family and I must be sent away,” the former Labour MP said. “I was in an unmarried mother’s home where I had to scrub the steps from morning until night. It was all about punishment.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/02/hugely-significant-those-affected-by-forced-adoptions-welcome-apology-but-demand-more-remedy">Continue reading...</a>

U.K. formally apologizes for state’s role in forcing unwed mothers to give up babies for adoption <p>LONDON &#8212; Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally apologized Thursday for the British state&#8217;s role in separating tens of thousands of unmarried mothers from their babies, a practice that lasted for decades until the 1970s.</p>

'Strong case' for state to apologise for forced adoption, says Keir Starmer Sir Keir Starmer has said there is “a very strong case” for the British state to apologise for its role in historical forced adoption. In an interview with ITV News, the Prime Minister said the practice had been “abhorrent”, adding: “It’s hard to actually believe that it could possibly have happened.” His comments followed a report from the Commons Education Committee, published on Friday, which said the UK Government should offer an unqualified apology as a step towards giving survivors “peace”. Sir Keir would not commit to making an apology but said the UK Government was “considering” it. He said: “My own view is a very strong case for an apology. I’ve asked the teams to speed up what we’re doing. “We’ve got to get this right with the campaigners and with all those affected.” Some 185,000 children were taken from unmarried mothers and adopted between 1949 and 1976 in England and Wales. The policy “caused unimaginable trauma” for generations of women and “profound, often devastating impacts” on their children, Education Committee chairwoman Helen Hayes said. Her committee has called for a commitme…

Keir Starmer issues formal state apology over forced adoption scandal <p>After decades of campaigning by those affected, PM says state ‘did not do enough to protect’ mothers and children</p><p>Keir Starmer has formally apologised for the British state’s role in historic forced adoptions after decades of campaigning by mothers and children affected.</p><p>The government said the “state did not do enough to protect mothers, children and families”, that it “failed to prevent harm from continuing” and that it bore responsibility for funding and legitimising the system that allowed the adoptions to take place.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/02/keir-starmer-issues-formal-state-apology-over-forced-adoption-scandal">Continue reading...</a>

PM Starmer to Issue Full Apology for Historic Forced Adoption Scandal Prime Minister Keir Starmer will soon deliver a full state apology for the forced adoption scandal that affected 185,000 children in England and Wales from 1949 to 1976. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to issue a full apology on behalf of the British state for the forced adoption scandal that saw an estimated 185,000 children taken from unmarried mothers between 1949 and 1976 in England and Wales. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed the move will happen very soon as she condemned what she called a shameful policy. Speaking to the Education Committee, Phillipson stated that the Prime Minister will have more to say on this shameful period in our history, reflecting the gravity of what has happened. She directly addressed those affected, saying they will get the apology they so profoundly deserve. The forced adoption policy, which targeted unmarried mothers, has been widely condemned as a cruel and coercive practice. Many women were pressured or tricked into giving up their children, often without their full consent. The trauma inflicted on both mothers and children has had lasting effects across ge…

Dutch and U.K. Governments Apologize for Their Roles in Forced Adoptions Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed forced adoptions with activists in London on Thursday.

PM tells forced adoption survivors ‘shame is ours’ as he makes formal apology By PA News Agency Share 0 Comments 2 Skip to next photo 1 / 1 Show caption 1 / 1 0 Comments This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. The forced adoption of babies from unmarried mothers in the decades after the Second World War has been branded a “stain on our history” by Sir Keir Starmer as he made a long-awaited state apology for the historical practice. Women whose babies had been taken from them watched on in Parliament as the Prime Minister said sorry on behalf of the Government. Echoing the words of the Church of England’s lead bishop who issued an apology last month, Sir Keir told them: “The shame was never yours, the shame is ours.” Some of those in the House of Commons gallery were seen to wipe away tears as the apology was delivered. While there is no exact figure, it is believed an estimated 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976. In recent decades, as they cam…

UK’s Starmer apologises for the state’s role in decades of forced adoptions UK government and Christian churches oversaw system that separated 185,000 babies from their mothers from 1949 to 1976.

Starmer to issue formal apology to mothers and children harmed by historic forced adoption policies – UK politics live <p>Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption in England and Wales</p><p>Good morning. <strong>Keir Starmer</strong> 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.</p><p>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. The mother and baby homes involved were mostly run by religious organisations, but councils were involved in placing children for adoption.</p><p>Survivors of historical forced <em>adoption</em> are to get the state apology they have spent decades campaigning for when Keir Starmer says sorry in parliament.</p><p>The prime minister is expected to stand in the Commons and acknowledge the harm caused when an estimated 185,000 …

UK PM apologises over forced adoptions, calls practice a 'stain on history' UK PM Keir Starmer has formally apologised for the British state's role in separating tens of thousands of unmarried mothers from their babies.