Starmer to issue formal apology to mothers and children harmed by historic forced adoption policies – UK politics live

Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption in England and Wales

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Ann Keen, a former Labour health minister who was forced to give up a baby for adoption when she was a teenager, has said she is looking forward to “being released from my shame” when she and other campaigners get a state apology.

We all need this apology because we have always been accused of giving up our babies and we didn’t give them up.

In particular, so many were taken without our knowledge and in my own instance, I went to see my baby on the eighth day because I was told I could have him for 10 [days], and they said: ‘Oh no, he’s gone now. You were getting far too close.’

I understand why the prime minister’s team wanted to get this right, because we’ve now got the opportunity to really put this wrong right, we’ve been waiting a long time, and so I’m just looking forward to today and being released from my shame.

There’s so much trauma attached to all of our families in so many different ways … Even when I was being sworn in as, as an MP, I couldn’t do it because I didn’t feel I was worthy.

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