UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham merges DSIT into new Business, Innovation, Science and Technology department

Andy Burnham, newly installed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ordered the dissolution of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and folded its functions into an expanded Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology. The re‑organized department will be headed by Jonathan Reynolds, who previously served as Secretary of State for Business and Trade. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan was also given a seat in the Cabinet, with responsibilities spanning AI opportunities, the AI Security Institute, semiconductors and online safety.

The change has drawn mixed reactions from the tech sector. Mark Boost, CEO of Civo, argued the merger could streamline policy and embed technology more directly into the UK’s economic strategy, while industry bodies such as techUK and the Startup Coalition warned it risks diluting focus on digital and AI at a critical time. Critics, including former AI adviser Matt Clifford, described the move as “the wrong change at the wrong time” and warned it could waste valuable resources needed for national security and innovation.

The restructuring also returns digital policy to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and places oversight of AI in the public sector under Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo. The re‑organisation is intended to support Burnham’s re‑industrialisation agenda, but its impact on UK research funding bodies and the Government Digital Service remains to be seen.