![\"Kanishka](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kanishka-Narayan-e1773150723397.jpeg\")
\t\tNarayan entered Parliament in 2024 after careers in business and finance \t<\/p>\n\t\t\tTuesday 21 July 2026 12:05 pm
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tTuesday 21 July 2026 12:06 pm\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tNarayan entered Parliament in 2024 after careers in business and finance \t<\/p>\n
Andy Burnham has promoted Kanishka Narayan to a Cabinet position as Britain\u2019s AI minister as part of his first major government reshuffle, handing artificial intelligence its first dedicated seat at the Cabinet table.<\/p>\n
Narayan will attend Cabinet for the first time after surviving Burnham\u2019s sweeping reshuffle<\/a>, which saw several senior ministers leave government and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) folded into a new business super-department.<\/p>\n The promotion makes Britain the first country in Europe to give AI a dedicated Cabinet-level minister and keeps one of the architects of the UK\u2019s AI strategy at the centre of government.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really good news that Kanishka Narayan is staying on as the AI minister,\u201d former DSIT adviser Ben Johnson told City AM. \u201cIt\u2019s really good news that he\u2019s going to be attending Cabinet.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt Clifford, who advised both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer on AI, called the appointment \u201cfantastic\u201d, saying Narayan had brought \u201cgreat energy and clarity\u201d to the role over the last year.<\/p>\n Meta AI research scientist Jakob Foerster also described the move as \u201cfantastic news for the UK\u201d.<\/p>\n AI is the \u2018central economic question\u2019<\/p>\n Narayan entered Parliament in 2024 after careers in business and finance before joining government as AI and online safety minister.<\/p>\n Since then he has become one of the government\u2019s leading advocates for Britain\u2019s sovereign AI strategy, arguing the country should build strength in areas where it already has global advantages rather than attempting to replicate Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cHistory teaches us that the nations which pull ahead are those that master the defining currency of their age,\u201d Narayan told City AM last week. \u201cToday\u2019s defining currency is AI.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that backing British AI companies would strengthen the UK\u2019s influence over the technology.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen British AI companies succeed in the areas where the UK has unique strengths, we build our country\u2019s control and leverage, ensuring we are an indispensable partner in the global tech architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve launched our \u00a3500m Sovereign AI Fund<\/a>, and are putting \u00a31.1bn behind our AI Hardware Plan. That is how we ensure Britain\u2019s voice is heard.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n