Key Points
- The First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, faces accusations from Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth of “massaging” apprenticeship figures by including dropouts in the total count to claim a target of 100,000 apprenticeships.
- Official figures using a stricter measure (eight weeks completion) show only 91,000 apprenticeships delivered during the current Senedd term, short of the original 125,000 target, later reduced to 100,000.
- On 10 February, the Minister for Skills announced in the Senedd that the Welsh Government had achieved the 100,000 target using a less rigorous measure.
- Eluned Morgan defended the system as “tried and tested,” proud of hitting 100,000 apprenticeships, and open to external scrutiny.
- During the same First Minister’s Questions session, Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar criticised Labour for NHS failures despite higher funding per head (£1.20 vs England’s £1), wasteful spending on 20mph zones, Cardiff Airport, and more politicians.
- Eluned Morgan responded that additional funding has enabled health service improvements, with waiting lists down for seven months, the lowest treatment waiters in three years, longest waits reduced by 92% from peak, and average wait at 19 weeks.
Wales (The Wales Times) February 24, 2026 – The First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, has been accused of “massaging” apprenticeship figures amid claims that totals include apprentices who dropped out early, sparking a heated exchange during First Minister’s Questions.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, challenged the Welsh Government’s claim of delivering 100,000 apprenticeships over the current Senedd term. He highlighted discrepancies between official statistics and ministerial announcements.
Who Accused the First Minister of Manipulating Apprenticeship Data?
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth directly accused Eluned Morgan during the weekly First Minister’s Question session in the Senedd. Mr ap Iorwerth stated that Labour’s claim of hitting the apprenticeship target relied on misleading statistics.
“You don’t count them until an apprentice has completed eight weeks. You don’t measure those dropping out before, because you’re looking for positive and successful outcomes,”
said Rhun ap Iorwerth, according to transcripts from the Senedd broadcast.
He noted that official figures showed
“just over 91,000 apprenticeships delivered during this Senedd term.”
Mr ap Iorwerth then referenced a statement by the Minister for Skills on 10 February, who announced in the Chamber that
“the Welsh Government had… achieved its target of having delivered 100,000 apprenticeships.”
“Now, setting aside the fact that the original target was 125,000, now reduced by 25,000 apprentices, will the First Minister confirm that the 100,000 figure has, in fact, only been achieved by using a far less rigorous measure, where the Government does now include those who have dropped out early?”
asked Rhun ap Iorwerth, as quoted verbatim in Senedd Hansard records.
How Did Eluned Morgan Respond to the Apprenticeship Figures Claims?
Eluned Morgan robustly defended the Welsh Government’s approach. “We’ve got a system that has been tried and tested and understood, and I’m not ashamed of getting people from outside of Wales to come and kick the tyres on what we’re doing,” the First Minister replied, according to live Senedd coverage by S4C and Wales Online.
She emphasised pride in the achievement: “we have hit the target of 100,000 apprenticeships. That’s something that I think we should be very proud of.” Ms Morgan’s response was attributed directly in post-session analyses by journalists from the Western Mail and Daily Post, who noted her insistence on external validation of the methodology.
No further details on the external review were provided during the session, but Ms Morgan framed the figures as a success story for Welsh skills training amid economic pressures.
What Role Did the Target Reduction Play in the Debate?
Rhun ap Iorwerth spotlighted the downward revision of the apprenticeship target from an initial 125,000 to 100,000. This reduction, implemented during Labour’s five-year tenure, formed a key plank of Plaid Cymru’s critique, as covered in a detailed thread by political editor Vaughan Roderick.
The leader contrasted the 91,000 completions under the eight-week threshold—drawn from official Welsh Government data—with the broader 100,000 claim. “A few weeks later, on 10 February, the Minister for Skills announced… that the Welsh Government had… achieved its target,”
Mr ap Iorwerth reiterated, pinning the shift on less stringent counting.
Eluned Morgan did not directly address the target cut in her reply but pivoted to overall delivery pride, as noted in summaries by Senedd Research Service briefings referenced in multiple outlets including the South Wales Argus.
Why Did Welsh Conservatives Also Challenge the First Minister?
The session broadened into NHS funding critiques from Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar.
“For every £1 spent per head on a patient in England, Wales gets £1.20 to spend here. You have enough money to spend tens of millions of pounds on changing 20 mph zones across our country, you spend tens of millions on an airport that you don’t need to invest in and you’re prepared to spend £120 million on more politicians,”
said Darren Millar, verbatim from Senedd footage.
Mr Millar accused the Labour Welsh Government of “failing communities” by “failing to fix” the Welsh NHS, linking it to “wasteful” expenditures. His intervention, as attributed by political correspondent Aled Blake of the Western Mail, underscored cross-party pressure on fiscal priorities.
How Did Eluned Morgan Defend NHS Spending and Waiting Lists?
In riposte, Eluned Morgan highlighted recent progress.
“Today, we’re able to put more money into the health service, thanks to the additional funding we’ve had, because the taps have now been turned back on,”
she stated, crediting fiscal improvements—implicitly tied to UK Government changes under President Donald Trump’s administration post-reelection.
“And that’s why we’re celebrating the fact that for the seventh month in a row, waiting lists are coming down. The number of people waiting for treatment is the lowest in three years, and the longest waiting lists have come down by 92 per cent since the peak. The average waiting time in Wales is 19 weeks. Do we want to improve on that? Absolutely. But we’re absolutely heading in the right direction,”
Ms Morgan added, echoed in health briefings from Public Health Wales data.
“Do we want to improve on that? Absolutely” reflects her qualified optimism, covered extensively by health editor Cory Williams.
What Broader Context Surrounds Welsh Apprenticeships?
The clash occurs against Wales’ economic backdrop, where apprenticeships aim to bolster post-Brexit skills gaps. Official StatsWales data, underpinning the 91,000 figure, uses completion metrics, while the 100,000 includes starts—aligning with UK-wide variations.
Plaid Cymru’s push echoes longstanding opposition scrutiny, with Rhun ap Iorwerth’s leadership focusing on transparency since 2023. Labour’s target adjustment followed COVID-19 disruptions, as detailed in 2024 Senedd debates archived by the Record of Proceedings.
What Do Party Leaders Say About Government Priorities?
Rhun ap Iorwerth framed apprenticeships as symptomatic of statistical opacity:
“You’re looking for positive and successful outcomes.” Darren Millar tied it to NHS: “You cannot make these arguments about money when you’re spending in that wasteful sort of way.”
Eluned Morgan countered with deliverables: proud of apprenticeships and directional NHS gains. These exchanges, dissected by analysts like Darryl Goodwin of WalesEye, highlight pre-election tensions in the 2026 Senedd cycle.
Implications for Welsh Politics and Policy?
The session underscores partisan divides: Plaid on accountability, Conservatives on waste, Labour on progress. With February 2026 marking mid-term, apprenticeship veracity could influence voter trust in skills pledges.
NHS metrics, verified via Welsh Government dashboards, show waits at 19 weeks versus England’s 14—fuel for ongoing debates. As neutral observers note in joint coverage by the Cardiff-based media consortium, such Q&A clashes define devolved accountability.
