Andy Burnham has appointed three Welsh MPs to his new cabinet. Stephen Kinnock becomes Welsh secretary, Chris Bryant takes the role of Northern Irish secretary, and Kanishka Narayan is the new AI minister, attending cabinet meetings.
Stephen Kinnock appointed Welsh secretary
Stephen Kinnock replaces Jo Stevens as Welsh secretary. Born in Tredegar to Labour stalwarts Glenys and Neil Kinnock, he was educated at Drayton Manor High School in London, studied modern languages at Queens' College, Cambridge, and the College of Europe in Bruges. He worked as a research assistant in the European Parliament, later joining the World Economic Forum and business consultancy. Elected MP for Aberavon in 2015, he held shadow roles under Keir Starmer and served as minister for care from 2024. He is married to former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, with two children.
Chris Bryant becomes Northern Irish secretary
Chris Bryant, MP for Rhondda since 2001, was born in Cardiff and privately educated at Cheltenham College. He studied English at Mansfield College, Oxford, and theology, becoming a Church of England priest. He left the ministry due to his sexuality and worked for the Labour Party and BBC. He has held ministerial roles since the Brown administration and was trade minister from September 2025. In 2019 he had surgery for stage three melanoma, and in 2024 his cancer spread. In 2025 he alleged sexual abuse by National Youth Theatre founder Michael Croft.
Kanishka Narayan named AI minister
Kanishka Narayan, born in Bihar, India, moved to Cardiff as a teen, living in a one-bed flat on Bedford Street. He attended Cathays High School, where a teacher encouraged him to apply to Eton. He studied PPE at Oxford, worked as an economist and policy adviser, and earned an MBA from Stanford. He worked in the Cabinet Office under Cameron-Clegg, as Liz Truss's strategy adviser at Defra, and with Rory Stewart. Elected MP for Vale of Glamorgan in 2024, he became Wales' first MP of colour. Under Starmer, he was parliamentary under-secretary for AI and online safety before Burnham made him AI minister.
Jo Stevens steps down
Jo Stevens, who faced criticism for not supporting more powers for Wales and had a public spat with Welsh leader Eluned Morgan, said it had been 'a privilege and an honour' to serve as Welsh secretary. She wished the new Prime Minister and her successor well, alongside new Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates.
