Feryal Clark

Minister Clark is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government in the United Kingdom, working full-time at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under Prime Minister Keir Starmer since July 2024. She has been a Member of Parliament representing Enfield North since 2019. She is affiliated with the Labour Party.

She also served as Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction, Shadow Minister for Health, Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Patient Safety, and Opposition Whip. In local government, she served as Deputy Mayor of Hackney and held cabinet positions for Health, Social Care, Leisure, Parks, Environment, Neighbourhoods, and Sustainability in the London Borough of Hackney.

She represented Brownswood ward and later Hoxton East & Shoreditch. She was also Vice-Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee and the North London Waste Authority and a member of the London Waste and Recycling Board.

She is the Labour Party’s first Kurdish MP. She endorsed Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour leadership contest and Lisa Nandy in 2020. She supports Labour Friends of Israel and has spoken publicly in support of recognising the Armenian genocide.

Minister Clark has led several local campaigns and initiatives. She secured a banking hub for Hertford Road, restored full-time hours at Chase Farm’s Urgent Treatment Centre, and campaigned to protect local rail station ticket offices. She has supported over 18,000 residents with casework during her time as MP and secured increased police presence in Enfield North. She pledged to support residents in newly added areas like Ponders End, including hosting coffee mornings and helping with council-related concerns.

In her ministerial role, she has been active in advancing AI and digital policy. She has delivered a speech at the Alan Turing Institute’s AI UK conference and visited major institutions such as the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London to observe AI research and development. She has also contributed to national discussions on digital identity, AI governance, investment frameworks, and the risks of foreign AI models like DeepSeek.

Her stated priorities include improving public services, rebuilding the economy, investing in clean energy, addressing NHS waiting lists, recruiting more teachers, ensuring border security, and neighbourhood policing.

She was born in Malatya, Turkey, and is of Kurdish Alevi heritage. She migrated to the UK, where she later became active in politics. Feryal holds a degree in Biomedical Science and a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics from the University of Exeter. She previously worked in NHS pathology.

Minister Clark was born as Feryal Demirci on 6 January 1979 in Malatya, Turkey. She is of Kurdish Alevi heritage, with her family originally from Kurecik, a town in the Malatya Province. Clark moved to the United Kingdom at a young age, where she later began her education and political career.

Minister Clark studied Biomedical Science at Kingston University and then completed a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics at the University of Exeter. Following her academic studies, she worked in the National Health Service (NHS) for six years, focusing on pathology. Her roles included work in diagnostic virology at Barts and The London NHS Trust and diagnostic biochemistry at University College Hospital in London. Her time in the NHS gave her practical experience in frontline healthcare settings.

In 2006, Minister Clark entered local politics and was elected as a councillor for the Brownswood ward in the London Borough of Hackney. She served in this ward until 2014 and was then elected for Hoxton East & Shoreditch. During her time in Hackney Council, she held several leadership roles. She became Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, responsible for waste management, recycling, traffic, public spaces, and parks. She later became Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, Leisure and Parks. 

In 2018, she was appointed Deputy Mayor of Hackney. She also held regional responsibilities as Vice-Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee and North London Waste Authority, and as a member of the London Waste and Recycling Board.

Minister Clark ran in the 2016 London Assembly election, where she was placed seventh on Labour’s London-wide list but was not elected.

In 2019, she was selected as the Labour Party candidate for Enfield North. She won the seat in the December 2019 general election, receiving 51.8% of the vote and a majority of 6,492, replacing former MP Joan Ryan. She became the Labour Party’s first Kurdish MP. Clark made her maiden speech in the House of Commons during a debate on Health and Social Care.

In Parliament, she was appointed Opposition Whip in May 2021. Later that year, in December, she became the Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Patient Safety. In the November 2021 reshuffle, she kept her role and continued to work on healthcare issues. In September 2023, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Health, followed by a role as Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction from November 2023 until July 2024.

During this period, she worked on several parliamentary campaigns. In January 2022, she publicly called for the UK Government to recognise the Armenian genocide, citing stories she had heard growing up in south-east Turkey. She has also supported Labour Friends of Israel and has been active on issues related to public services and digital governance.

In the July 2024 general election, Minister Clark was re-elected as MP for Enfield North. Though her vote share decreased slightly to 49.1%, her majority increased to 12,736. Following the election, she was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, working under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

As a minister, Minister Clark has taken part in national and international discussions on artificial intelligence, digital identity, and data governance. She gave a speech at the Alan Turing Institute’s AI UK conference and visited key academic centres including the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. She has discussed the development of investment criteria for AI spending and has raised concerns about international AI models such as DeepSeek.

Outside of Parliament, Minister Clark has remained focused on her constituency. She secured the establishment of a banking hub on Hertford Road, following a two-year campaign involving surveys, consultations, and discussions with LINK. The hub is intended to restore access to banking services after several local branches closed.

She also helped return full-time hours to Chase Farm Urgent Treatment Centre after they had been reduced, citing her own experience using the facility and its importance to tackling NHS backlogs. She opposed the government’s plan to close ticket offices at local rail stations and launched a petition and campaign to protect them, especially for vulnerable and older passengers.

Minister Clark has supported over 18,000 residents and local businesses through casework and public services. She secured additional police officers for Enfield North after four years of campaigning. Following boundary changes in 2024, she also pledged to represent Ponders End residents through regular coffee mornings and community engagement.

As of 2025, Feryal Clark continues to serve as the Minister for AI and Digital Government and MP for Enfield North. She is focused on improving digital public services, AI governance, access to technology, and public infrastructure. She lives in Enfield with her husband and two children. She does not currently have any published books or long-form publications but has contributed to policy discussions and national media interviews related to AI, digital identity, and public services.

Minister Clark’s vision is to build a fair, modern, and well-connected society where technology and public services work for everyone. As Minister for AI and Digital Government, she is focused on using digital tools to improve healthcare, education, and everyday services. She supports strong rules to make sure AI is safe and trusted. In her constituency, she works to protect local services, improve policing, and support residents through the cost-of-living crisis. She believes in a government that listens, acts fairly, and supports working people. Her goal is to help create a better future for all communities across the UK.

Minister Clark has carried out a range of work in public service at both local and national levels. While no formal awards are listed under her name, her work has been recognised through public support, local engagement, and her roles in government. As Member of Parliament for Enfield North, she has supported over 18,000 residents and businesses with issues including those faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. She helped secure a banking hub on Hertford Road to improve access to financial services in the area.

She led efforts to return full-time hours to Chase Farm Urgent Treatment Centre after a period of reduced service. She launched a petition and raised questions in Parliament to stop the closure of ticket offices at local rail stations. She secured additional police support for Enfield North following repeated requests over a period of years. As Minister for AI and Digital Government, she has taken part in official visits and events related to artificial intelligence and digital services. She gave a speech at the Alan Turing Institute’s AI UK conference and visited research centres at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London.