Two Indian-origin MPs appointed in Andy Burnham’s Cabinet: Who are Kanishka Narayan and Lisa Nandy?

Andy Burnham got down to business quickly after becoming Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade. The 56-year-old purged the Cabinet of his predecessor’s loyalists and promised a 10-year plan to ease cost-of-living pressures.

Burnham, who took charge on Monday (July 20) after Keir Starmer officially stepped down, stood outside 10 Downing and vowed to create “a new political model” and “build a new economy.”

To achieve these goals, Burnham has made significant changes to the Cabinet, including John Healey as Chancellor, Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary, and Wes Streeting as Defence Secretary.

Interestingly, Burnham has also included two Indian-origin MPs in his Cabinet. The first is Kanishka Narayan as Minister for artificial intelligence (AI), making the position a Cabinet-level role for the first time, and the second is Lisa Nandy as Culture Secretary.

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But who are these two Indian-born British leaders? Let’s know more about them.

From Bihar to Britain — the journey of Kanishka Narayan

Britain’s new PM Andy Burnham named Kanishka Narayan as minister for artificial intelligence. Narayan was appointed minister for AI and online safety in September 2025 under Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer. As a junior minister, he served under technology secretary Liz Kendall, who was ousted by Burnham on Monday alongside senior ministers who served under Starmer.

Narayan was born in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur and moved to Cardiff in the UK 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.

Following his education, Narayan entered global technology, spending time in Silicon Valley and the UK. He supported leading entrepreneurs in AI, fintech, and climate change initiatives. He also worked at Lazard, a leading global investment bank, advising major British company boards, government finance ministries, and technology entrepreneurs across Europe and the United States.

Now UK's AI Minister, Kanishka Narayan was born in Bihar and moved to Cardiff with his family at the age of 12. Image Courtesy: Kanishka Narayan

In 2024, Narayan decided to contest general elections in Britain, where he won the Vale of Glamorgan seat, returning it to Labour after 14 years of Conservative representation. He also worked as Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between July 2024 and September 2025.

Narayan boasts of his unwavering commitment to local issues and volunteering experiences. His LinkedIn page states that he was the co-founder of Attain Wales, a non-profit programme in South Wales focusing on social mobility and education.

In 2020, he founded a national campaign following the announcement of the Covid-19 lockdown, titled ‘Help Your High Street’, which matched local independent shops with customers to facilitate ongoing delivery, mail order and gift card purchases.

Between 2021 and 2023, he also served as a trustee of a Citizens Advice bureau. Simultaneously, he served on the advisory panel of Chatham House, the UK’s foremost foreign policy think tank, for two years.

Narayan has been quite vocal about the role of technology in the future. He earlier stated that “changing technology offers the greatest opportunity for the Vale, and for Britain, to reclaim its proud heritage of innovation”.

Kanishka Narayan has acknowledged the importance of AI to the UK’s economy, national security and geopolitical power. Image Courtesy: Kanishka Narayan

Speaking at an event earlier, Narayan also noted that the importance of AI to the UK’s economy, national security and geopolitical power were now “enduring facts”.

He, however, has also acknowledged the concern over AI, particularly the issue of job losses. “The transition has to be a fair transition, has to be a transition that’s fulfilling, and has to be a transition that works for us as a country altogether,” Narayan was quoted as saying during Politico’s Playbook Live event.

He said there was a “clear-cut argument” for the government to take an active role and “clinch this moment for a fundamental institutional redesign of how workers are supported.”

Interestingly, Narayan has been unequivocal about his resistance to AI Growth Zones, designated areas for building data centres with approval processes and access to power. He pushed back on the idea that Britain’s rules and electricity prices were prohibitively high for large data centres.

Lisa Nandy, another Indian-origin, in Burnham’s Cabinet

Another Indian-origin, Lisa Nandy, also made it to Andy Burnham’s Cabinet. She has retained the position of Culture Secretary, an appointment under the Starmer tenure.

Lisa was born in 1979 in Manchester. Her father, Dipak Nandy, was from Kolkata, West Bengal, while her mother, Luise Byers, is of British origin.

Nandy was educated at Parrs Wood High School and Holy Cross College before studying politics at Newcastle University and public policy at Birkbeck, University of London. She then worked as an aide to Walthamstow MP Neil Gerrard, a researcher for homelessness charity Centrepoint and a senior policy adviser at The Children’s Society.

In 2010, Nandy was selected as Labour’s candidate for the Wigan constituency — a seat the party has held for more than 100 years. She won the seat with a majority of 10,487, becoming the area’s first female, and first Asian MP.

Nandy and Burnham share ties that go back to 2015. She had extended her support to him in the Labour leadership race, a contest eventually won by Jeremy Corbyn.

Britain's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy arrives at Downing Street in London July 20, 2026 as Cabinet appointments are being made after Andy Burnham became Britain's new Prime Minister. AFP

In 2020, Nandy stood against Keir Starmer in the leadership race and was described as “refreshingly untribal”. While she came in third, she was rewarded with the appointment of shadow foreign secretary.

In July 2024, Starmer appointed her as culture secretary, a role she was thrilled to have. At the time, she said, “From rugby league to Royal Opera, our cultural and sporting heritage runs through our towns, villages and cities and is one of our country’s greatest assets.

“As culture secretary, I will do everything I can to harness the limitless potential of the extraordinary people in these amazing sectors to drive economic growth, unlock opportunities for everyone and change lives for the better.”

With inputs from agencies