Lisa Nandy Stays in Post as U.K. Culture Secretary

Despite new Prime Minister Andy Burnham undergoing an extensive cabinet reshuffle, incumbent culture minister Lisa Nandy is set to remain in post.

Nandy, who has been a member of Parliament since 2010 as representative for the constituency of Wigan, was appointed secretary of state for culture, media and sport by previous Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July 2024, shortly after the Labour party won the general election, making her the 12th minister in the post in almost as many years.

Her two-year stint has also made her one of the longest-serving. She previously served as the shadow cabinet minister for international development and shadow housing minister.

Nandy took office during a period of uncertainty for the U.K.’s screen sector in the wake of the Hollywood writer and actor strikes, post-pandemic inflation coupled with a downturn in the ad market and slashed budgets from broadcasters and streamers. She is currently overseeing the BBC’s royal charter renewal, including its funding mechanism, as well as the U.K. arm of the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery merger, in which she said she was “minded to intervene.”

Other major deals in the U.K. include Comcast-owned Sky’s recent acquisition of public service broadcaster ITV, which has yet to receive regulatory approval, as well as potential bidders for its soon-to-be-spun-off production arm ITV Studios.

Meanwhile Burnham has also appointed Kanishka Narayan as the first minister for AI, jointly in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Narayan was previously parliamentary under-secretary of state in the science, innovation and technology department. He was elected in July 2024 as the MP for Vale of Glamorgan.