Kanishka Narayan promoted to UK AI minister as Andy Burnham takes power

The Vale of Glamorgan MP will attend Cabinet and says Britain has a narrow window to shape AI’s impact on jobs, industry, public services and national security

Kanishka Narayan has been promoted to Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and will attend Cabinet under Prime Minister Andy Burnham

Kanishka Narayan has been promoted to Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and will attend Cabinet under Andy Burnham, placing the UK’s AI portfolio inside the new Prime Minister’s senior government meetings.

The appointment took effect on July 20 and is held jointly across the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

It moves Narayan up from his previous junior ministerial position covering AI and online safety, which he had held since September 2025. Downing Street confirmed the appointment as part of Burnham’s first ministerial team.

Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Narayan said: “The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, today asked me to attend Cabinet as Minister for AI, a sign of his deep commitment to AI's importance.”

His first public statement in the role presented AI as both a major economic opportunity and a source of public concern: “AI is likely the most significant technology in human history. Its impact will dwarf other things.”

Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer as Prime Minister

Burnham became Prime Minister on July 20, succeeding Keir Starmer, who had led the UK government since July 2024. The change followed Burnham’s return to Parliament as MP for Makerfield in June and his election as Labour leader days before entering Downing Street.

Burnham is best known for his nine years as Mayor of Greater Manchester. He previously served in the UK government as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Culture Secretary and Health Secretary, as well as holding several Shadow Cabinet positions. His appointment as Prime Minister marks his return to national government after almost a decade in regional politics.

Narayan’s promotion is part of that political transition. His new Minister of State position spans both the Cabinet Office and the department responsible for business, innovation, science and trade, while his invitation to attend Cabinet puts AI into Burnham’s central government discussions.

Narayan sets out UK AI ambitions

Narayan used his LinkedIn post to connect AI policy with Burnham’s wider focus on industry and public services. “The best case for it is compelling beyond our dreams: a reindustrialised Britain, stronger national security, public services transformed for the better,” he said.

But he also acknowledged the unease surrounding the technology: “The risks, too, are real: it is right that the British public shares those worries, for jobs, for the pace of change.”

Narayan presented the appointment as a chance for Britain to assert greater influence over AI while its future direction remains unsettled:

“The central fact is that it is happening. Nations have a narrow window to decide whether they shape AI or get shaped by it. Britain is in that window right now. While that window is still open, I will act with pace, I will act with ambition, and I will focus relentlessly on securing British influence in shaping AI.”

Narayan has represented the Vale of Glamorgan since July 2024 and is Wales’ first ethnic minority MP. Born in India, he moved to Cardiff with his family at the age of 12.

He also connected the national role to Wales and his own journey into Parliament: “I will also bring to this job the place I represent - a constituency in Wales, a nation with industry and ambition at its heart, a proud history of punching above its weight on the global stage. A nation which welcomed a 12-year old and his family, gave us the best chance at opportunity, put me in Parliament as Wales' first ethnic minority MP, and now affords me the chance to make a mark in Cabinet. Diolch o galon to everyone in the Vale of Glamorgan.”