UK’s Starmer apologises for the state’s role in decades of forced adoptions
Key takeaways
- UK government and Christian churches oversaw system that separated 185,000 babies from their mothers from 1949 to 1976.
- Between 1949 and 1976, the British government and Christian churches oversaw a system that coerced and shamed mothers – many of whom were teenagers – into giving up their babies.
- Addressing parliament on Thursday, Starmer said the government was “deeply and profoundly sorry” to “every single person impacted”.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
UK government and Christian churches oversaw system that separated 185,000 babies from their mothers from 1949 to 1976.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer shakes hands with former Labour Member of Parliament Ann Keen, who was forced to give up her baby boy for adoption at the age of 17, as he welcomes her and other campaigners for a meeting to discuss historical forced adoption, at Downing Street, in London, Britain, on July 2, 2026 [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]By AFP and ReutersPublished On 2 Jul 20262 Jul 2026United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a formal apology over the forced adoption of babies born to unmarried British mothers in the decades after World War II, describing the scheme as a “stain on our history”.
Between 1949 and 1976, the British government and Christian churches oversaw a system that coerced and shamed mothers – many of whom were teenagers – into giving up their babies. An estimated 185,000 children were forcibly adopted.