Labour Party members are increasing pressure on the UK government to end a £330 million NHS technology contract with Palantir Technologies, with an emergency motion submitted ahead of the party’s annual conference in Liverpool.
The move follows Palantir’s appointment of former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as a senior vice-president. Watson announced the role earlier this month, prompting renewed scrutiny of the technology company’s relationships with the British public sector. The Independent
## Emergency Motion Targets NHS Federated Data Platform Contract
The emergency motion has been submitted by the Labour-affiliated Socialist Health Association and at least three Constituency Labour Parties. It calls on the Department of Health and Social Care to use a February 2027 break clause in the contract covering the NHS Federated Data Platform. A conference committee is expected to determine whether the motion will be debated and voted on. Sky News
The seven-year Federated Data Platform contract, awarded in 2023 to a consortium led by Palantir Technologies UK, is valued at up to £330 million and covers as many as 240 NHS organisations. The platform is intended to bring together existing health-service information to improve operational planning, including management of waiting lists, hospital beds and patient discharges. NHS England
NHS England says data remains under NHS control and Palantir cannot commercialise NHS data or use it to develop its own products. NHS England
### Labour Members Raise Human Rights Concerns
Opponents of the contract have cited Palantir’s work with governments and military organisations. The emergency motion says the company is “facing numerous allegations of involvement in serious breaches of human rights, including due to it developing technology for Israel’s military to use in its unlawful occupation of Palestinian land and genocide in Gaza.”
Israel denies allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza. Palantir has confirmed that it entered a strategic partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Defense in 2024 to provide technology in support of the country’s war effort. Sky News
Calls to reconsider the NHS agreement have also come from parliamentary committees, the British Medical Association and Unison. Sky News
## Watson Appointment Adds to Political Scrutiny
The appointment of Watson has added another dimension to the dispute. The motion states: “Links between senior politicians and private companies creates distrust amongst voters, particularly where public contracts are awarded.”
Labour MP Clive Lewis has also criticised the appointment, writing that it “sends yet another signal to a weary public about just how far the rot in our democracy has spread.” The Guardian
Watson, meanwhile, has publicly defended his decision to join Palantir, saying the company is doing work of consequence in defence, policing and healthcare. The Independent
### Palantir Faces Wider UK Public-Sector Scrutiny
The debate comes as Palantir’s role elsewhere in Britain’s public sector faces additional scrutiny. Five police forces participating through the East Midlands Special Operations Unit recently ended a two-year Palantir pilot, with funding constraints and uncertainty over benefits cited in reporting on the decision. Financial Times
Separately, London authorities blocked a proposed £50 million Metropolitan Police agreement with Palantir amid procurement and value-for-money concerns. Palantir is challenging that decision through legal proceedings. London City Hall
## Campaigners Call for Government Action
Peter Leary, Deputy Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said:
“Palantir’s appointment of Tom Watson smacks of a shameful attempt to buy political influence and shield the company’s lucrative government contracts, not least its staggering £330 million NHS deal.
“This comes in the face of massive democratic pressure on the government to cancel Palantir’s contracts. Patients and health workers are rightly disgusted that public money is going to a company that is deeply implicated in Israel’s genocide and apartheid against Palestinians.
“Companies that are enabling Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians should not be allowed to profit from our public services. The Labour government must listen to its members and affiliates and exercise the break clause to remove Palantir from the NHS.”
Rathi Guhadasan, Chair of the Socialist Health Association, said:
“The decision to grant Palantir the NHS Federated Data Platform contract is a disaster. This company should be nowhere near our NHS.
“Palantir’s human rights record is easily enough to disqualify it from government contracts – from its use in Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, to Israel’s use of its technology to target Palestinians in its genocide in Gaza. But even on its own terms, a growing body of evidence within the NHS shows its technology is not fit for purpose or cost-effective.
“Andy Burnham should show he means change, listen to NHS workers, and cancel Palantir’s NHS contract.”
The government has not announced that it will terminate the agreement. The Department of Health and Social Care says the platform is delivering benefits to patients, while ministers have said the contract will be reviewed through standard contract-management procedures and that the outcome will be announced in due course. Sky News