Claim 1abcb789Checked 21 Jul 2026
Partly True/FalseOn the truth scale
“Apprenticeship starts fell by 40% while the Opposition was in government.”
Interpreted asidiom
“Apprenticeship starts fell by 40% during the Opposition's period in government.”
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The claim is that "apprenticeship starts fell by 40% on their watch" — referring to the Conservative period in government (2010–2024). The 40% figure is a real statistic, but it applies specifically to **youth apprenticeship starts**, not to total apprenticeship starts.
**Total apprenticeship starts (England):**
- 2010/11: 457,200 (rose sharply under the Coalition due to increased funding)
- Peak around 2015/16–2016/17: ~509,000–495,000
- 2023/24: 339,580
- 2024/25: 353,500
From the peak (2015/16, ~509,360) to 2023/24 (339,580), total starts fell by roughly **33%**, not 40%. From 2010/11 (457,200) to 2023/24 (339,580), the decline is about **26%**. Neither comparison reaches 40% for total starts.
**Youth (under-19) apprenticeship starts:**
- 2015/16: 131,420
- 2023/24: 78,930
This is a decline of approximately **40%**, matching the figure cited by the BBC, the government's own "Young people and work" interim report ("Apprenticeship starts for young people have declined by over 40%"), and a March 2026 Hansard debate reference to "a shocking 40% fall in youth apprenticeship starts."
**Conclusion:** The 40% figure is accurate for **youth (under-19) apprenticeship starts**, but the claim as stated omits this crucial qualifier and presents it as a decline in apprenticeship starts overall. Total apprenticeship starts fell by roughly 25–33% depending on the comparison point, not 40%. This omission materially affects the impression the claim gives, as it suggests a larger overall decline than actually occurred.
Sources: Explore Education Statistics (GOV.UK) apprenticeship data tables — https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/94dfbc1a-30e5-4dd8-1bdc-08de535edcf5 ; BBC News, "50,000 new apprenticeships promised in youth employment push" — https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgkpzpy1zno ; GOV.UK, "Young people and work: interim report" — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-people-and-work-interim-report/young-people-and-work-interim-report ; House of Commons Library, "Apprenticeship statistics for England" — https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06113/ ; Hansard, Youth Unemployment debate, 17 March 2026 — https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-03-17/debates/4A4586ED-B98A-4B1A-8277-F93A82736A99/YouthUnemployment
From speech
Welfare reform is balancing universal credit so that it no longer pushes people away from work. That is what we are doing; the Opposition voted against it. Welfare reform is introducing a right to try, to incentivise people to take up opportunities. That is what we are doing; they voted against it. Welfare reform is providing record funding on apprenticeships. That is what we are doing; apprenticeship starts fell by 40% on their watch. The right hon. Lady talks about the welfare bill. It soared by £88 billion on their watch. Nearly 3 million people were written off. Face-to-face assessments collapsed because of the contracts they agreed. And who signed off those contracts? The shadow Chancellor.
Sources opened