British prime minister Keir Starmer has apologised in the House of Commons for historical forced adoptions in England. Present in the gallery were mothers and adult adoptees directly affected by the practice.

In his apology Starmer praised their courage and resilience in steadfastly campaigning for truth and justice, and described what they faced as “a stain on our history”.

“To all those impacted and affected,” he said, “I say this: the shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours.”

As Starmer recognised, this formal apology follows earlier attempts by governments in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – and beyond – to address this traumatic history.

During the three decades following the second world war, historians estimate that between 300,000 and 500,000 children in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland were removed from their mothers. Most of these women were single, and their children were put up for adoption without their free and informed consent.

While an apology is to be welcomed, campaigners and scholars alike highlight that it is long overdue. A culture of shame rooted in Catholic, Protestant and other religious traditions, and dating back to the 19th century, endured throughout the 20th century. Our research shows this was not just discriminatory but also costly and damaging to all affected families. As Starmer acknowledged in his statement, authorities used their power to exploit vulnerable women and their infants.

The welfare model that emerged in Britain and Ireland in the post-war era was inherently gendered. Women and children qualified for support only as the wives, widows or children of male breadwinners. This was reinforced by an economic system that prioritised that male breadwinner........

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