UK PM Starmer appoints Indian-origin Lisa Nandy culture secretary

New UK PM Keir Starmer has appointed Indian-origin Lisa Nandy culture secretary in his Cabinet.

In the general election that witnessed the Labour Party's massive comeback, Lisa Nandy comfortably held on to her seat of Wigan beating number 2 Andy Dawber by nearly 10,000 votes.

The daughter of academic Dipak Nandy and Ann Luise Byers, she became a Labour MP in 2010. Nandy challenged for the Labour leadership in 2020 and came in third behind current leader Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey.

Starmer appointed Angela Rayner his deputy, hours after he assumed the PM post following a landslide Labour Party victory on Friday. Rayner, 44, was Starmer's first confirmed appointment to his cabinet.

She will also hold the brief of minister for levelling up, housing and communities, Downing Street said in a statement. The historic appointment has been of Rachel Reeves who has been given the responsibility of finance minister, or Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour government, making her the first woman in the UK to hold the role of finance minister.

Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken office following a decisive electoral victory on Thursday, which ended 14 years of Conservative governance. His administration will oversee the most ethnically diverse and female-inclusive parliament in the country's history.

Black, Asian, and ethnic minority lawmakers will now constitute approximately 13% of the House of Commons. This marks an increase from the 10% representation documented in 2019 during the last parliamentary election in Britain. According to an analysis by the think tank British Future, this will be the largest-ever share of ethnic minority members in the lower house.