June 2026 – We will use this page to add the latest media reports and our own comments and statements.
Monday 13 July
Last week (Thursday 7 July) the House of Lords held a debate on the government’s apology statement. You can watch it back on BBC iPlayer or read the Hansard transcript.
On Saturday (11 July) Fr Robert Thompson proposed an amendment to the Church of England Synod; in his speech he offers a critique of the way the Church went about its adoption apology. You can watch and listen on YouTube (starts at about 45:30). The amendment was opposed by Bishop Joanne Grenfell and did not pass.
On 12 July the Sunday Times featured a long read by Sarah Corker on her investigative work on mother and baby homes (Sunday Times, paywalled)
Monday 6 July
Diana Defries and Professor Gordon Harold on ITV’s This Morning (YouTube, 6/7/2026)
Friday 3 July
Yesterday the Prime Minister gave a statement in Parliament to apologise on behalf of the State for its role in forced adoptions.
Official announcements:
- Watch as it happened on parliamentlive.tv or via YouTube (ITV News) or BBC iPlayer
- Read the statement as given and debate in full (Hansard)
- Read the accompanying ministerial written statement (House of Commons; House of Lords; .pdf version)
- Press release from the Department for Education and the Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson
- Statement by Helen Hayes MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee
- Government’s response to the Select Committee report (2/7/2026)
- Government’s response as published 9 July
Adult Adoptee Movement statement:
Press coverage (selection, in no particular order)
- Guardian (report)
- Guardian (interviews with campaigners)
- Guardian opinion (David Batty)
- ITV News
- BBC News
- Mirror
- Metro
- Independent
Television and radio reporting (selected and in no particular order)
- Zara Phillips on BBC Breakfast on the morning of the apology
- Helen Weston and Nikki Paine (BBC South East Today 2/7/26)
- Tracy Gilbert MP and Marion Scott (BBC Reporting Scotland 2/7/26)
- ITV News At Ten (2/7/26, lead story)
- UK PM Starmer apologises on behalf of government for historical forced adoptions (BBC News, 2/7/26)
- ITV News Central (East) (2/7/26, lead story with adoptee interview)
- The national scandal that forced Keir Starmer to make an official apology (ITV News, 2/7/26, 30 minutes)
Monday 29 June
Following the Church of England apology, there have been further responses, interviews and blogs. Here are some that have been published since our last update.
- Interviews with Ann Keen of MAA and Bishop Joanne Grenfell on Radio 4’s Sunday programme (21 June 2026)
- Blog by adoptee Canon Michael Rushton, ‘Adopting an apologetic stance’ (Church Times, 26 June 2026)
- Blog by Dr Michael Lambert, ‘The myth of clean adoption’
- ‘Church of England apologises for coerced adoptions, advocates want more’ (Sojourners, 24 June 2026)
- ‘The bastards were never the children’ by Robert Thompson (Surviving Church, 22 June 2026)
Thursday 18 June
Adult Adoptee Movement statements 18 June 2026
The Church of England has issued a statement. Please see our press releases here.
Church of England latest news page.
Church of England historic adoption page; full video on YouTube.
Bishop of Bath and Wells: An apology to those impacted by historical adoption practices (18/06/2026); full video on YouTube.
- Nikki Paine on ITV Meridian (East) (18/06/2026, starts at 05:56)
- Sally Ells on ITV News Central (West) (18/06/2026, lead story)
- Vik Fielder on BBC Points West (19/06/2026 online write up; video)
- Vik Fielder on UCB radio (United Christian Broadcasters 18/06/2026)
- Vik Fielder on As It Happens (CBC Radio) (18/06/2026, starts at 26:45)
- Church of England ‘profoundly sorry’ for forced adoption, Archbishop of Canterbury tells ITV News (18/06/2026) (also on YouTube)
- Church of England apologises for role in forced adoptions (BBC News 18/06/26)
- Archbishop of Canterbury says ‘shame is ours’ (Sky News 18/06/2026)
- Archbishop of Canterbury apologises for forced adoptions by Church (Times 18/06/2026, paywalled)
- Archbishop ‘profoundly sorry’ for forced adoption scandal (Telegraph 18/06/2026, paywalled)
Wednesday 17 June
Adult Adoptee Movement statement 17 June 2026
“We are relieved that a UK government apology is finally coming. We hope that it will fully acknowledge the harms done and provide appropriate support measures for all survivors.”
- Forced adoption survivors will receive ‘full apology on behalf of the state’ after campaign (ITV News 17/06/2026)
- Forced adoption survivors to get full apology from UK government, says Phillipson (Guardian 17/06/2026)
- Government to apologise to victims of forced adoptions in England (BBC News 17/06/2026)
One reply on “Latest news”
Please allow nationally the voices of ADULT adoptees. Researching all aspects of adoption. Including the stories of ignored abuse and adoption breakdown orr failure. How to remove adoptees when any abuse and neglect is happening.