Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called on the UK government to halt contracts with US tech firm Palantir, citing a lack of transparency over its dealings with the NHS and Ministry of Defence. Polanski wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging him to break a £330 million NHS contract, arguing the company has 'absolutely no place in the NHS, looking after patients’ personal data'.
Since 2023, Palantir has secured over £500 million in UK public contracts, including a recent £241 million deal with the MoD. The company employs Global Counsel, the lobbying firm founded by Peter Mandelson, whose appointment as UK ambassador to the US has faced scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Emails released by the US Department of Justice show Mandelson sought Epstein's help to find 'rich individuals' as clients.
Opposition MPs have criticised the government for blocking attempts to scrutinise Palantir's contracts. Requests for information about meetings between Palantir leadership and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as former PM Boris Johnson, have been refused under freedom of information laws. Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley called for a parliamentary debate on Palantir's suitability as a supplier to critical national infrastructure.
Palantir's technology is expanding into British policing, and the company also provides military technology to the Israel Defense Forces and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A Palantir spokesperson defended its work, stating its software 'is helping to deliver better public services in the UK'. The government said ministers engage with a range of companies, and Palantir is a 'longstanding investor' in the UK.
