Burnham gives AI minister a Cabinet seat

Andy Burnham has promoted Kanishka Narayan to attend Cabinet as Britain’s AI minister, giving AI its first dedicated seat at the Cabinet table. The move came during Burnham’s first major reshuffle, which removed several senior ministers and folded the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology into a new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Narayan has been a leading advocate of the government’s sovereign AI strategy, arguing that Britain should focus on sectors where it already has global strengths rather than trying to copy Silicon Valley. He has described AI as the country’s defining economic opportunity and a potential route out of Britain’s productivity crisis.

Former advisers and technology figures welcomed the promotion, with Ben Johnson calling it good news and Matt Clifford praising Narayan’s energy and clarity. Global Tech Advocates founder Russ Shaw said the appointment recognised AI’s strategic importance, while warning that the wider technology agenda still needs a strong voice at the heart of government.