12 November, 2026
On 2nd July, 2026, former PM Sir Keir Starmer apologised for the state’s wrongdoing and the many harms caused to mothers and adoptees. In that statement (click here to read the full transcript) he said:
- We say sorry and we mean it, but sorry is not enough. This must also be the start of real change: working with those affected and their families to improve access to records, and to provide the care and support that people need. So today I can tell the House that we will fund the development of a national online resource, creating a single access point to locate records wherever they might be held across the country. We will consult on requiring existing records to be retained for 100 years, so they remain available across the lifetime of those affected.
Today, the Education Secretary is writing to local authorities, regional adoption agencies and voluntary adoption agencies, setting out the expectation that requests for records should be responded to swiftly and with compassion and consistency.
- We will expand access to funded intermediary services, with a particular focus on pre-1976 cases, where access to support is currently most limited.
- We will establish national virtual peer-led support groups for mothers and adopted adults, to improve access to ongoing, trauma-informed support across the country.
- We will work with NHS England to ensure those affected are taken seriously when they seek
help. That includes new support for clinicians to better understand the impact of forced adoption and respond appropriately in their care. NHS England will also explore how those who wish to do so can have their experience of forced adoption appropriately recorded in their health record. - Finally, to further recognise those affected and ensure we learn the lessons of the past, we will commission a testimonials project to capture the stories of those with experience of historical forced adoption practices. Through all of this and more, we will continue to meet regularly with those with lived experience. We will be guided by them to get this support right and learn from our past to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again in this country.
- We are looking at mental health pathways, which are vital. We are looking at how they need to be tailored, trauma-informed and developed. We will of course continue the dialogue with all those affected, and with the Education Committee and the House.
- …this cannot simply be a backward-looking exercise; we have to carry the principles that sit behind this apology into all the other instances when there is disrespect and a lack of regard for people’s dignity. If we commit to that, it will make the apology more meaningful, I am sure.
- In response to a request from Alicia Kearns, MP, with regard to babies who died and were buried in unmarked graves and a specific request that the records be opened, the mothers informed so that the children might be buried with dignity, the PM said:
I can give that undertaking, and I thank the hon. Member for raising that important aspect. With each question, with each issue, we can begin to understand the very many ways in which the injustice— across a number of different fields and a number of different strands—played its part. For those who lost their babies altogether, that work on graves and on records is really important.
IT IS NOW NOVEMBER – FOUR MONTHS HAVE PASSED.
ALMOST NOTHING IS IN PLACE.
So what can you do to help speed up the implementation process?
We need your help:
1 Sign up for our newsletter – stay in touch with what is happening.
2 Write to your MP asking them why it is taking so long for support to be put in place.
3 NHS – speak to your doctor. Quote from the apology (see above to obtain a transcript).
Ask for the promised support measures.
4 If you attend a Church, ask them what they are doing to help those they harmed.
Particularly the Church of England, please visit their support page for further details.
Insist they provide the help they promised.
5 Let us know what else would be helpful for you.
