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UK government to extend controversial Palantir NHS contract as it draws up plan for British alternative – UK politics live

Palantir’s controversial £330m health contract is to be extended before ministers draw up plans to replace it with a British alternative, the FT has reported. Health secretary Yvette Cooper has faced calls from MPs and campaigners to axe the US tech firm’s contract to deliver the flagship government AI system. The system aims to connect scattered medical files, speed up hospital discharges and improve surgery scheduling among other potentially life-saving improvements. But a review has concluded that removing Pa…

Truvace record2 min read1 sourceEvidence: Emerging · 42/100 — News report · 1 independent sourceJournalismTRV-2026-2394 · cite or check it
UK government to extend controversial Palantir NHS contract as it draws up plan for British alternative – UK politics live

In brief

The UK government will extend Palantir's £330m contract to run the NHS's flagship AI data system, the Financial Times reported, and will start work on a British replacement. Palantir could be swapped out in about two years, after a procurement process for a UK tech alternative.

A government review concluded that removing Palantir by triggering a break clause in its contract would be too disruptive to NHS data systems. Health secretary Yvette Cooper had faced calls from MPs and campaigners to cancel the deal, and the Green party leader Zack Polanski called the decision a 'betrayal'.

The system is meant to connect scattered medical files, speed up hospital discharges and improve surgery scheduling. Critics say evidence of patient benefit is contested by NHS staff and that many trusts have refused to use the platform. The plan is expected to be signed off soon but has not been finalised.

Main points

  1. The contract is worth £330m and covers the government's flagship AI system for the NHS, according to the FT report.
  2. A review found that triggering the contract's break clause to remove Palantir would be too disruptive to NHS data systems.
  3. Ministers plan a procurement process for a UK alternative, with Palantir potentially replaced in two years.
  4. The system is meant to connect scattered medical files, speed up hospital discharges and improve surgery scheduling.
  5. Palantir's UK and Europe chief executive, Louis Mosley, said ending the contract would be 'putting politics above patients'.
  6. Critics point to Palantir's contracts to supply AI to the Israeli military and to Donald Trump's homeland security crackdown.
  7. Polanski said any evidence of patient benefit is contested by NHS staff and that many NHS trusts have rejected Palantir's platform.

The problem

The government plans to keep Palantir's £330m NHS AI system running despite calls from MPs and campaigners to axe it, while NHS staff contest evidence of patient benefit and many trusts have rejected the platform.

The full story

The FT reported that ministers will extend Palantir's NHS contract rather than cancel it. A review judged that using the break clause would disrupt NHS data systems too much. Instead, the government will launch a procurement process for a British alternative, and Palantir could be replaced in two years.

Pressure to cancel came from MPs and campaigners who had urged Health secretary Yvette Cooper to axe the contract. Zack Polanski accused Labour of 'betrayal' and of 'allowing the corporate capture of our most beloved institution'. He also said any evidence of patient benefit is highly contested by NHS staff.

Palantir's Louis Mosley rejected the criticism, saying ending the contract would be 'putting politics above patients' and accusing critics of 'Palantir Derangement Syndrome'. Critics have pointed to the company's work supplying AI to the Israeli military and to the Trump administration's homeland security crackdown, and to comments by founder Peter Thiel about democracy.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-11-06

The debate