MPs have told ministers to loosen Palantir’s grip on sensitive UK data before it becomes a proper liability.
According to the Financial Times, the House of Commons technology committee said Palantir should not have such a “significant role” across sensitive UK defence, health and policing data systems. It warned that the US outfit’s presence had become an “unacceptable point of weakness”.
The MPs urged ministers to trigger a 2027 break clause in Palantir’s £330 million (€376 million) contract to build the NHS Federated Data Platform. The FDP links separate NHS data into one system. The committee wants the government to seek a UK-based supplier instead, rather than leaning on a US company with deep ties to the defence sector.
Palantir’s public sector role has faced growing scrutiny because of its defence work and its co-founder and chief executive Alex Karp’s support for Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“Palantir should not have such a significant role in the UK public sector… [its] increasing presence represents an unacceptable point of weakness. Dependence on overseas providers of digital and technology services is a weakness for adversaries to exploit,” the committee said.
It added that relying on “a small number of US-based providers” left “ambitions to digitally transform public services potentially at the mercy of foreign actors”.
Palantir UK, head Louis Mosley fired back, accusing the committee of “putting the politics of the playground before public services”. He said MPs had ignored evidence that Palantir’s technology was “proven to deliver more NHS operations, less crime and better military capability”.
In calling for an end to Palantir’s role in the FDP, MPs were “trying to grab a quick headline at the expense of their own constituents’ care”, Mosley said.
Palantir has UK contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds, including with the Ministry of Defence, police and the Financial Conduct Authority. But its NHS deal has become the sore point. Some staff have boycotted the data platform on ethical grounds, while supporters claim Palantir can improve patient outcomes.
Last month, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s office stepped in to stop the Metropolitan Police awarding Palantir a £50 million (€57 million) contract. The concerns were over procurement and value for money.
MPs pointed to Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, who previously said “the NHS makes people sick”. They said Palantir had expanded its UK presence despite a “clear mismatch with UK values”. The government was “worryingly comfortable” with the public sector’s reliance on a small number of digital providers, the committee said. It added that ministers had “no clear plan” to create a “modern digital state”.
The committee wants the government to explain the exact nature of Palantir’s access to NHS patient data. The call follows a report that NHS England had granted external staff from companies including Palantir “unlimited access” to patient data while working on part of the FDP.
MPs want ministers to explain why Palantir won a £240 million (€274 million) Ministry of Defence contract without a competitive tender process. The contract covers data analytics for critical strategic, tactical and live operational decision-making over three years.
A government spokesperson said digital platforms were “already making a real difference to public services”. The person said the NHS FDP was “joining up care, speeding up cancer diagnoses and ensuring thousands of additional patients can be treated each month, with strict data security requirements in place”.
The spokesperson said the government was acting “to reduce reliance on any single tech supplier”, adding: “We welcome the committee’s report and will consider its recommendations carefully.”
