Freedom of information requests have revealed that out of the 29 NHS trusts the health service publicly lists as gaining from Palantir’s medical data platform, most say the system is either not operational or its applications are not being employed.
NHS England maintains that 137 trusts have the federated data platform active, and it has promoted the technology as a £330 million contract launched in 2024. The agency’s website describes the system as a nationwide AI-driven tool for linking patient records, accelerating discharges and optimizing surgery timetables.
Health secretary Yvette Cooper is under pressure from members of parliament and advocacy groups to terminate the agreement, with some urging the activation of a 2027 break clause and a new open tender for a domestically based supplier. The Commons health select committee has also called for the contract to be withdrawn.
The Office for Statistics Regulation has opened a probe after NHS England claimed an additional 117,539 operations were performed by trusts using the platform, a figure the watchdog said could not yet be linked causally. The regulator announced it will pursue the matter under its casework remit.
Palantir’s UK and Europe chief executive Louis Mosley responded to criticism by saying that ending the deal would be putting politics above patients and dismissed detractors as suffering from a so-called “Palantir Derangement Syndrome”. The company also hired former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson as a senior lobbyist; Watson has posted videos on X attempting to refute what he calls myths about the contract and has challenged remarks from Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who described the lobbying as “beyond ridiculous”.
Critics have also highlighted Palantir’s broader clientele, noting contracts with foreign militaries and US security agencies, while Labour MP Clive Lewis described recent letters from the company to skeptical parliamentarians as “very Big Brother”. The debate continues over whether the UK should retain a foreign-owned AI system for handling sensitive health data.