Apprenticeship starts fell by 40% on their watch.

Apprenticeship starts in England did fall under the Conservatives, from a peak of about 521,000 in 2010/11 to roughly 353,500 in 2024/25 — a fall of around 32%. A 40% drop is reachable only if measured from the peak to the COVID-year low, so the headline figure is overstated for the full period; the core claim of a large decline is correct.

▸ House of Commons Library — Apprenticeship statistics for England

Checked Wed 1 Jul, 09:59 · Broadcast: PMQs: Prime Minister's Questions - 3 June 2026

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More fact-checks of “PMQs: Prime Minister's Questions - 3 June 2026”

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