A second parliamentary committee has urged Labour to scrap Palantir’s £330m contract with the NHS, rising stress on the following prime minister over authorities offers with the US tech firm.
MPs on the well being and social care choose committee need the NHS to minimize ties with Palantir and discover a alternative for its system, which is meant to unify and analyse large quantities of usually extremely delicate NHS well being knowledge.
Palantir, cofounded by the Trump-supporting tech billionaire Peter Thiel, additionally works for the US, Israeli and UK militaries, and the cross-party group of MPs cited “serious mistrust” among the many public and the medical occupation of its NHS system, contested proof of its advantages, and cited the supply of different instruments that might ship comparable outcomes.
Last month the science and know-how committee known as for the federal government to train a February 2027 break clause within the deal and both develop an in-house alternative to the federated knowledge platform (FDP) or search for a UK different.
Up to 117 NHS knowledge and know-how employees broke ranks to name for the deal to be axed, warning that affected person privateness protections have been insufficient and {that a} lack of public belief may hurt the standard of important well being knowledge.
In a letter to the health secretary, James Murray, they stated: “Data completeness will be compromised by the erosion of patient trust; data privacy protections are inadequate and data structures are at risk of misuse.”
One signatory, a senior knowledge skilled who requested anonymity, stated: “The FDP has not shown me any significant technological benefits whatsoever. A frankly mediocre software is being forced on NHS data systems at the expense of patient trust, professional integrity and the fundamental values of the NHS. How can we say we want to use software for saving lives when that same software is also used to kill and ruin lives?”
Alex Karp, Palantir’s chief government, final 12 months responded to a declare that its know-how kills Palestinians, by saying: “mostly terrorists, that’s true”.
In May, Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, blocked the Metropolitan police from awarding a £50m contract to Palantir after saying Londoners needed to see public cash being paid to corporations that “share the values of our city”. City Hall cited “serious concerns” about how the deal had been struck. Palantir is difficult the choice within the excessive court docket.
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat chair of the well being committee, stated: “Little by little, the government’s arguments for sticking with the FDP has unravelled. So in the interest of public confidence in the NHS and the security of their medical information, we believe it is time to crack on with preparations to find an alternative.”
Palantir has held the contract with NHS England since 2023. But the usage of its AI-powered software to assist army strikes in Gaza and Iran, US ICE immigration raids and entry to NHS knowledge has stoked concern. Palantir’s UK and Europe chief, Louis Mosley, has stated critics of its NHS position have “chosen ideology over patient safety” and insisted the know-how has helped minimize surgical procedure ready lists and speed up most cancers diagnoses.
A spokesperson for Palantir stated: “Palantir software is helping to deliver better patient care – including 110,000 additional operations to date, a 15% reduction in discharge delays and a 6.8% increase in patients finding out whether they need cancer treatment within 28 days … But that is what it is – software. How that software is used is controlled by the NHS trusts who use it, with data – legally and contractually – only able to be processed strictly in accordance with their instructions.”
The well being employees union, Unison, stated: “The government cannot allow the NHS to be captured by firms like Palantir which prioritise profits over ethics.”
Helga Pile, the union’s head of well being, stated: “The health service needs to retain the ownership and control over patient data systems which are highly sensitive and critical infrastructure. Patients, staff and MPs are calling for Palantir’s contract to be discontinued. NHS England must listen to them to restore public confidence.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care stated: “The government is reviewing this contract ahead of the February 2027 break clause. Thousands more patients are benefiting from the NHS federated data platform every month, with an extra 110,000 of them having undergone procedures in operating theatres, while also reducing the number of unnecessary days patients stay in hospital following treatment by a seventh.”