The women haunted by forced adoptions
Welcome to the ITV News digest bringing you the best of our original journalism, insight and analysis from across the nation and regions.
Hi, Sarah Corker here, ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent. As a journalist, to some degree you have to become hardened to the most distressing news stories, a self-protection mechanism almost so that you can keep doing your job and try to put your own emotions to one side.
But of course there are also times when a story, a series of events, stops you in your tracks.
We've investigated the harrowing story of nearly 200,000 mothers who were ‘forced’ by churches and the state to give up their babies for adoption in England & Wales in the 1950s, 60s & 70s. After decades of silence birth mothers and adult adoptees are searching for answers, haunted by what happened.
St Monica’s maternity home in Kendal was run by the Church of England’s Diocese of Carlisle until its closure in 1970. We obtained official records through a Freedom of Information Request which revealed 45 babies are buried in a mass unmarked grave close to the institution. They lived and died in the home.
Unlike the Welsh and Scottish governments, the UK government hasn’t formally apologised for its role in these forced adoptions.
As a new mum myself this story has struck a chord. I am in awe of the courage and resolve of those who have trusted us to share their stories.
You can read more of what I learned here and watch my full report on catch-up on ITVX.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy more content from the ITV News team below.
Starmer’s flying start
They say a week is a long time in politics but for new prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, it’s flown by.
Just seven days after the Labour Party swept to power on the back of a crushing General Election win, he’s criss-crossed the UK and the Atlantic.
The PM visited the four nations and then headed to Washington for a Nato summit.
Meanwhile, at home, 650 MPs - more than half of them ‘newbies’ - have been sworn in and many are beginning to find their way round their new workplace.
But for the defeated Tory interim leader Rishi Sunak, it was an altogether more humbling affair…
You can catch up on a busy week of politics on ITVX, including:
Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlines her plans to kick-start growth
Who is Rachel Reeves, the UK’s first female chancellor
ITV News Economics Editor Joel Hills on the challenge facing Labour
What the new planning shake-up could mean for you and the green belt
Who’s left to form Rishi Sunak’s shadow cabinet?
Our social news team’s take on the new Starmer Cabinet
Don’t forget, you can keep across ITV News’ politics coverage on our Talking Politics podcast - this week with Anushka Asthana in Washington and Robert Peston in the studio - and through our @itvpolitics social media channels.
‘He’s toast’: Gasps as Biden blunders over Ukraine president
It was billed as one of US President Joe Biden’s most important press conferences - but he mis-spoke again, identifying Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin".
ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana witnessed his latest gaffe - in front of Nato leaders in Washington DC.
'He's toast,' muttered one man. As journalists crowded around a small screen to see it again, one woman turned away. 'I can't even watch,' she said.
You can keep across all the twists and turns of the US Presidential election race in our new podcast, Talking Politics: USA, every Thursday on ITVX.
'I can't find my baby' - Mum relives aftermath of crash that left son and sister dead
For Shalorna Warner, May 31 will be a day forever etched into her mind. She was driving on the A1 in Co Durham when a drink-driver careered into the back of her car, killing her baby boy and her sister.
Speaking to ITV News Tyne Tees, Shalorna recounted her panic in the moments after the crash. The back of her car had been destroyed, the car seat with her son, Zack, catapulted metres away.
A passing lorry driver stopped to help and spotted her eight-month-old.
"I jumped over the wall and ran over and there was Zack, lying on the side of the road, on the grass, so close to the road...,” she said. "He was laying there, and still so beautiful."
The 26-year-old was the sole survivor of the collision, caused by Darryl Anderson, who had been drinking, hitting speeds of 141mph and had been on his phone behind the wheel of his Audi Q5.
You can watch her moving interview on ITVX and read more here.
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Could it be coming home?
England face Spain on Sunday in the European Championship final in Berlin.
It’s been 58 years of hurt for the men’s side. If they win, Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds will have to re-work the classic anthem, Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home).
He spoke to ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nanaar about the song, England and the fans.
Behind the (royal) curtain
It’s one of the most famous balconies in the country - and now the general public can get to see what’s beyond the facade.
Buckingham Palace has for the first time opened up the East Wing to visitors, so people can get glimpse of the room behind the view.
ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship was among the first to get a peek at what you can expect to see… catch up with his report on ITVX.
And you can keep across the news from the Royal Family through our Talking Royals podcast.
The search for Jay Slater
When 19-year-old Jay Slater called his friend on the morning of June 17, little did she know that would be the last contact anyone had with him.
The apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire had travelled to Tenerife for NRG Tenerife Weekender music festival with friends.
But after fun-packed night, he’d gone off with two people to stay at an apartment 10 hours away - he was not seen again.
ITV Granada Reports has traced the final known movements and the subsequent search for Jay in a special documentary, Missing in Tenerife: The Search for Jay Slater, which you can watch on ITVX.
What’s coming up…
Sunday July 14: European Championships final, Berlin, 8pm.
Monday July 15: King and Queen begin two-day visit to Channel Islands.
Wednesday July 17: Formal opening of Parliament & the King’s Speech.
Thursday July 18: First government bills to be introduced.
Wednesday July 24: Keir Starmer will face his first Prime Minister’s Questions.
And finally… meet the 6-year-old stroke survivor who’s now a film star
Avy Berry is pretty modest about her role in a multi-million pound film production that's being seen all over the globe.
Avy, from Oldham, has had a lot more to be worried about in her short life. She had major brain surgery after suffering a stroke, aged four.
ITV Granada Reports caught up with Avy and mum Ferne to talk about her journey from hospital bed to the big screen…