The appointments represent a significant rise
Three Indian-origin Labour MPs have been handed government roles as Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled his new Cabinet.
Kanishka Narayan has joined the Cabinet as Minister for Artificial Intelligence, while Satvir Kaur and Harpreet Uppal have been appointed to key front-bench positions.
The appointments represent a significant rise in Indian-origin representation within the Labour government, with Narayan, Kaur and Uppal joining Uma Kumaran, a Hindu MP of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage who has been named a junior minister in the Foreign Office.
Kanishka Narayan, the Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan, was born in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, before moving to Wales with his family at the age of 12.
He studied at Eton College, the University of Oxford and Stanford University before entering politics.
After being elected to Parliament in July 2024, Narayan served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from September 2025.
On July 20, 2026, he was promoted to the newly created role of Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, serving jointly in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
Satvir Kaur, who represents Southampton Test, has been appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
She will also serve as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office, with responsibilities including safeguarding, violence against women and girls, and equalities.
Kaur, whose parents are from Punjab, was first elected as an MP in July 2024. Before entering politics, her family ran a saree shop in Southampton.
She previously served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office from September 2025 to July 2026, taking maternity leave between September 2025 and February 2026 before returning to government.
Harpreet Uppal, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, has been appointed Assistant Whip.
Whips are responsible for organising parliamentary business, coordinating MPs and ensuring members attend important votes.
Uppal was elected in July 2024 and formally took up the role on July 22, 2026. Before becoming an MP, she worked on Andy Burnham’s Greater Manchester mayoral campaign in 2017.
The reshuffle also saw two senior Labour politicians of Indian heritage, Seema Malhotra and Preet Kaur Gill, return to the backbenches.
Malhotra previously served as Indo-Pacific minister, while Gill was the former junior health minister. Both had been viewed as close allies of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Lisa Nandy, whose father was born in Kolkata, has retained her position as Culture Secretary and remains a Cabinet minister.
The latest appointments underline the growing presence of British South Asian politicians in senior government roles, following the election of a record number of MPs from ethnic minority backgrounds at the 2024 General Election.
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