The question
Who deserves an apology from you, and for what?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Mum, because I never really knew how to cope with her alcoholism.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 September 2025 source ↗
My kids, for the jokes. Some of them are pretty bad.
I say it a lot to my kids when I’ve lost my temper, and I’ll save up a big one for when they are 18.
To my cousin P, who was one of my best mates growing up. We lost him when we were in our 20s and, before he passed away, I was so busy with this stupid thing called life and a brand new kid. He called me and said: “Bro, I’m not feeling right.” And I said: “Bro, you’ve never been feeling right.” And it always sits on my head that if me or somebody else had been paying more attention maybe things would have worked out different. He had extremely rare bowel cancer and died five weeks later at 27.
I’m good at saying sorry – so no one, because I’ve already said it.
A dog, though my husband would prefer a cat.
Losing the 1992 general election.
Totalitarianism in Europe.
Getting elected as MP for the Rhondda in 2001 despite everyone saying I was too “exotic” or “flamboyant”, ie gay.
The melanoma has returned in your lung.
An earthquake in Peru forced me and a young man into the street, where he had to introduce me to his family at three in the morning.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Sadiq Khan, John Simpson, Kellie Maloney, Jess Phillips, Samira Ahmed
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