Revealed: Palantir lobbied minister to stretch AI tools’ reach to NHS GP records

Palantir lobbied the then health minister Zubir Ahmed in February 2026 to consider extending its AI software into GP records, according to WhatsApp messages obtained by the campaign group Foxglove under the Freedom of Information Act. GP data is expressly outside its existing £330m contract with NHS England to run the federated data platform.

The messages span July 2025 to March 2026. Palantir told the minister that joining up primary and secondary care data was "unarguable" and urged him to get ahead of political opposition from doctors and Palantir critics. The government said three years ago that GP data would not be part of the national platform.

The British Medical Association and the NHS Chief Data and Analytical Officers Network say the push goes beyond earlier ministerial statements and risks patient trust. Palantir says it is for government to decide how its software is rolled out. The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment, and a review of the contract is ongoing.

The lobbying began in July 2025 and continued to March 2026. In February, Palantir argued that "the logic of joining up primary and secondary [care] data is unarguable". It also said the platform would "maintain local control of data", and told the minister the platform was already delivering strong results that more ministerial sponsorship would speed up. The company says the platform has helped cut surgery waiting times and discharge delays.

The documents show Palantir advising the minister that "the politics [of using GP data] is not straightforward", citing the previous government's ruling. It named the Green party leader Zack Polanski and Your Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, as likely critics who would "make hay" with the idea unless ministers got ahead of it.

Foxglove's Donald Campbell said the messages show Palantir knew how sensitive the issue was and made its case privately through privileged access to government. Doctors' and patients' groups, including the BMA, have opposed integrating GP data because of a lack of trust in a company that also works for the Israeli military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The story sits within a wider contract dispute. Two House of Commons committees wanted Palantir forced out as soon as spring, but the Financial Times reported ministers were unlikely to end the contract soon, partly because removal would be disruptive without an alternative lined up. Palantir said it has long argued that data sharing can improve the NHS while organisations keep full local control.