What major UK government restructuring occurred under the new prime minister, including Kanishka Narayan's promotion to cabinet-level AI minister, the axing of DSIT as a standalone department, its merger with DBT into a new department led by Jonathan Reynolds, the departures of L

Now let me search for the tech community's pushback onOn 20 July 2026, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham executed a sweeping Whitehall restructure on his first day in office, abolishing the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), elevating a standalone AI minister to cabinet, and merging most DSIT functions into the business department — triggering widespread alarm from the tech sector .

Key changes

• Kanishka Narayan promoted to cabinet-level AI Minister. Narayan, previously a junior AI and online safety minister under Starmer, was appointed the UK's first standalone Minister for Artificial Intelligence with a full seat at the cabinet table, marking a major elevation for the AI portfolio .

• DSIT abolished as a standalone department. The three-year-old department, created by Rishi Sunak in 2023, was scrapped . Most of its functions — science, innovation, research funding, and AI adoption — were merged into a new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) led by Jonathan Reynolds . Digital functions, including the Government Digital Service (GDS), were moved to a strengthened Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under Lisa Nandy .

• Liz Kendall and Peter Kyle departed government. Liz Kendall (Science and Tech Secretary, 2025–2026) and Peter Kyle (Business Secretary, 2024–2025, under Starmer) were both confirmed as having left government in the ministerial appointments list published by No. 10 .

• Lord Patrick Vallance resigned as Science Minister. Vallance, the former government chief scientific adviser during COVID who later served as Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, resigned effective 22 July 2026 . His departure was seen as a significant loss for the life sciences and R&D community .

Tech community pushback

The restructuring provoked fierce backlash before and after it was announced:

• "Luddite" accusations. The Telegraph reported that Burnham's plans prompted a "fierce backlash," with senior industry leaders calling him a "Luddite" and warning that dismantling DSIT would undermine the UK's AI ambitions .
• Delivery infrastructure concerns. Tech leaders described the moves as sending "two wildly conflicting signals" — elevating AI politically while gutting the delivery department underneath it . The concern was that without DSIT as a dedicated tech department, AI strategy would lack coordinated execution .
• Warnings of fragmentation. Critics noted that splitting digital policy across three departments (BIST, DCMS, and the Cabinet Office) created a risk that "three owners means none" for digital coordination .
• Labour MP dissent. The Guardian reported that even some Labour MPs and Whitehall officials were alarmed, with one Labour MP reportedly calling the closure "getting rid of the department of the future" .