Who is Kanishka Narayan? Indian-origin MP becomes UK's first AI minister

Amid the cabinet rejig, Kanishka Narayan is one of the faces who have been retained from Keir Starmer's cabinet.

Updated on: Jul 21, 2026, 13:59:23 IST

By HT News Desk

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As Andy Burnham takes over as the Prime Minister of the UK, the Labour leader has appointed an Indian-origin MP from Wales as the first minister of artificial intelligence.

Narayan, a Labour politician from Wales, was appointed minister for AI and online safety in September 2025 under Starmer. (Bloomberg)

Burnham, who took charge on Monday after Keir Starmer officially stepped down from the top post, has vowed to create “a new political model” and “build a new economy.”

Amid the cabinet rejig, Narayan is one of the faces who have been retained from Starmer's cabinet.

Narayan, a Labour politician from Wales, was appointed minister for AI and online safety in September 2025 under Starmer.

Also Read | From Greater Manchester mayor to No. 10: Andy Burnham set to become Britain's seventh PM in a decade

As a junior minister in the Starmer cabinet, the India-origin MP served under technology secretary Liz Kendall.

Kendall, along with Darren Jones, Rachel Reeves and Peter Kyle, was among the senior ministers who were ousted after Burnham took over as UK PM.

Who is Kanishka Narayan?

Kanishka Narayan was born in Bihar and moved to Cardiff at the age of 12.

Following his initial education at Cathays High School, Narayan completed his education at the University of Oxford and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University, says his LinkedIn profile.

He entered politics in 2024 and became the MP of the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, marking a return of the Labour Party after 14 years.

With this, Narayan made history as the first ethnic minority MP from Wales.

Between July 2024 and September 2025, he also served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Based on his LinkedIn profile, the Bihar-born MP was also the co-founder of Attain Wales, a non-profit programme in South Wales focusing on social mobility and education.

(With agency inputs)

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