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UK Prime Minister Starmer apologises for state role in decades of forced adoptions

UK's Starmer apologises to mothers and children traumatised by decades of forced adoptionsUK’s Starmer apologises for the state’s role in decades of forced adoptions

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a formal apology on Thursday in London for the UK state's involvement in a forced adoption scheme that targeted unmarried women years after World War Two.

He described the system as a "stain on our history," marking a significant moment of accountability for past trauma affecting mothers and children separated at birth.

  • The forced adoption practice in the UK was largely hidden from public view until campaign groups began exposing it in the 2010s.
  • Unmarried mothers in the post-war UK were often told their babies would be "better off" with married couples if they gave them up.
  • Starmer's apology comes as the UK government continues to face pressure over various historical injustices affecting vulnerable groups.
UK Prime Minister Starmer apologises for state role in decades of forced adoptions | Implica