AI minister updates guidance after ‘don’t thank ChatGPT’ advice to civil servants October 1, 2026 Britain’s AI minister has ordered changes to government guidance that urged civil servants to limit their use of AI, saying it failed to reflect ministers’ ambitions to ramp up adoption across Whitehall. Kanishka Narayan said guidance published last week had now been updated after it advised government workers to use AI only when necessary, choose [...]
‘Resilience or reliance’ – Tech chiefs urge Burnham to spend £20bn on ‘sovereign AI’ September 28, 2026 British tech bosses have called on the government to commit more than £20bn to sovereign AI infrastructure, warning the UK risks becoming dependent on foreign technology in one of the most important industries of the coming decades. Senior figures from BT, Telefónica Tech, Leonardo, HPE, Kainos and Sopra Steria are among the signatories to an [...]
Government admits Burnham’s Whitehall shake-up leaves tech policy in limbo September 11, 2026 Nearly two months after Andy Burnham abolished Britain’s technology department, ministers have admitted parts of the former department still have nowhere to go. A long-awaited breakdown of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) carve-up revealed a “small number of policy areas” are yet to be allocated, while some staff are still waiting to [...]
Astrazeneca and Jaguar Land Rover given power to endorse talented migrants for visas August 6, 2026 A select group of private companies including Astrazeneca and Jaguar Land Rover will be able to endorse migrants to enter the UK on a skilled talent visa for the first time. The list of over 100 companies, which also includes GSK, Arm and a range of large companies and research start-ups, will now be able [...]
Britain has an AI minister – now it needs an AI answer August 4, 2026 The appointment of Kanishka Narayan, Britain’s first Cabinet-level minister for AI is an acknowledgement that this technology is the central economic question of the age, but the minister’s real test is whether he continues to build durable homegrown capability or instead subsidises dependency on non-European platforms, says Stefano Pasquali Kanishka Narayan’s appointment as Britain’s first [...]
AI Minister: Visa reform key to keeping tech giants in Britain July 27, 2026 AI Minister Kanishka Narayan renewed calls for more visas for top engineers, arguing that the UK will need to do more to help tech companies scale at home rather than sell overseas. In his first interview since joining Andy Burnham’s cabinet, Narayan said he would use his seat at the top table to push for [...]
Breaking up the science department is a setback for Britain’s AI ambitions July 27, 2026 Spreading AI across four different departments is a mistake Andy Burnham will come to regret, says Eliot Wilson Last Tuesday, on his first full day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham killed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. That has set back the UK’s approach to science policy by several years, for reasons which are [...]
Burnham accused of gutting tech department’s ‘biggest strength’ July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham’s decision to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will split up the teams it was created to bring together, according to its former top civil servant. A leaked internal government document shows AI, digital and science responsibilities being divided between three departments as ministers begin dismantling DSIT less than three [...]
‘Phenomenal waste of time’: Burnham slammed over plans to dismantle tech department July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham faced immediate questions over his decision to abolish the tech department on Tuesday, as peers warned the move risked disrupting Britain’s AI strategy. Ministers were hauled before the House of Lords less than a day after the machinery of government changes to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) were announced, where [...]
‘Fantastic news’ as Burnham brings Britain’s AI minister into Cabinet July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham has promoted Kanishka Narayan to a Cabinet position as Britain’s AI minister as part of his first major government reshuffle, handing artificial intelligence its first dedicated seat at the Cabinet table. Narayan will attend Cabinet for the first time after surviving Burnham’s sweeping reshuffle, which saw several senior ministers leave government and the [...]