Wales elects its first MP of colour as Kanishka Narayan takes Vale of Glamorgan

History was made overnight when Wales elected its first MP of colour.

Labour's Kanishka Narayan of Indian heritage became MP for the Vale of Glamorgan ousting former Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns so what do we know about one of Wales' newest MP's?

Born in Bihar, India Mr. Narayan moved to Cardiff aged twelve and grew up in the capital.

He attended Cathays High School for one year before moving to the prestigious Eton College through a scholarship.

His education took him to Oxford University where he studied PPE and later moved to America where he was awarded an MBA from Stanford University

He became active in politics when he joined the Labour Party aged eighteen and worked as a civil servant in the Cabinet Office during David Cameron's premiership as well as the Environment Department under Liz Truss.

In 2023 he was selected as the Labour candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan constituency and moved from Cardiff to Barry.

Speaking to ITV News shortly after winning his seat Mr Narayan said,

"Tonight the people of the Vale of Glamorgan have placed their trust in me and in a changed Labour party to deliver for the community and for this country.

"We are obviously delighted with the result here in the Vale of Glamorgan and now more than anything else we are focussed on total delivery for this community and for the country"

When asked about why Labour has been so successful Mr Narayan said there was a sense of optimism:

"A desire for change that they've expressed in their voting preference but they also know it's time for honesty and what we're offering is a sense of honest optimism. That's what this community is looking for, I'm really looking forward to delivering on it."

When asked what he was offering the area he said the focus was a 'return of prosperity:'

"My first priority and I hope the Labour government's priority is to bring good jobs here, to provide a sense of relief from the cost of living crisis and to bring a sense of deep prosperity back to the Vale of Glamorgan."

He went on to say there won't be overnight changes:

"It's not really a question of how soon they will [see change] but instead a question of how deep and lasting that change is.

"That's what I think people are looking for in our politics, not quick fixes, but deep long last changes in the community here and the country at large."

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