On Thursday 2nd July, 2026, Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave a public apology in the House of Commons on behalf of the Government and the State for Historic Forced Adoption and related practices.

The Prime Minister said:

“The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours.
I say that on behalf of the whole country and I say it to every single person impacted.
We are deeply and profoundly sorry.”

“What happened to… tens of thousands of mothers, children and families, should never have happened. It is a stain on our history.” 

This apology is the first step on a longer path towards support services and other assistance. We will continue to press for promises made in Parliament to be kept.