Fact check shows apprenticeship starts rose 11% and AI image is fabricated

In a parliamentary debate, Paul Waugh asserted that apprenticeship starts had fallen by 9% when comparing the 2025/26 academic year to 2023/24, but Full Fact demonstrated that the figures were not comparable because the former covered only nine months while the latter covered a full year. When matched to the same nine-month window, apprenticeship starts actually rose by about 11% in 2025/26. Moreover, the suggestion that starts have declined under Labour since 2020 is false; data show an increase from 2020/21 to 2023/24, despite earlier declines before 2020.

The fact-check also addressed a viral social-media image portraying four female teachers holding a protest sign about Pride flags; analysis revealed the picture was fabricated using Google’s AI tools, marked by an invisible SynthID watermark and obvious visual flaws such as missing letters in an alphabet chart. The report advises the public to verify sources before sharing content and points to Full Fact’s resources for spotting AI-generated misinformation.