Starmer to formally apologise to victims of forced adoptions

Starmer to formally apologise to victims of forced adoptionsImage source, ReutersImage caption, The prime minister will apologise for the practice on behalf of the UK governmentByIan AikmanPublished3 minutes agoSir Keir Starmer will make a formal apology on behalf of the British state for its role in historical forced adoptions in England and Wales.An estimated 185,000 babies were taken from their mothers in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, with thousands of women pressured into giving up their children because they were unmarried.The apology comes after years of campaigning from mothers, adoptees, and their wider families. Campaigners will meet the prime minister in Downing Street ahead of his statement to the House of Commons later on Thursday.In March, a parliamentary inquiry recommended the government urgently apologise for the state's role in the practice.The inquiry report, from the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), found that government decisions had "shaped the environment in which unmarried mothers were often shamed and coerced into having their children put up for adoption".It called for improved access to adoption records, as well as more support for people seeking to contact or reunite with their families.It stopped short of recommending financial redress to victims, but called on the government to "rigorously assess" how other countries had responded to historical forced adoption, including Australia, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed two weeks ago that a formal apology was on the way from the UK government."The prime minister will have more to say on this shameful period in our history, reflecting the gravity of what has happened," she said at the time.The apology will come three years after the devolved governments in Cardiff and Holyrood said sorry to victims of forced adoption in Wales and Scotland.An apology is also expected in Northern Ireland, but not...