Palantir NHS Contract Sparks Protests as UK Reviews $440M Deal

Approximately 80 protesters gathered outside a major UK health care conference in Manchester on June 11 to demand the National Health Service terminate its contract with American data analytics firm Palantir, according to WIRED.

The demonstration at NHS ConfedExpo targeted a deal worth up to $440 million that runs through 2031 but includes a break clause allowing the government to exit the agreement in February 2027. Protesters, some wearing hospital gowns and holding signs reading "Patients vs. Palantir," cited concerns about national security, data privacy, and the company's work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Israeli military.

Why it matters

The protest reflects growing unease among UK citizens and lawmakers about foreign control of sensitive health data infrastructure. With Parliament warning that dependence on Palantir represents "an unacceptable point of weakness," the controversy illustrates broader tensions around AI deployment in public services and the balance between operational efficiency and data sovereignty.

The contract under scrutiny

Palantir first partnered with the UK government in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to track the virus. The current NHS contract tasks the company with aggregating and analyzing health service data through a "federated data platform" aimed at reducing wait times and identifying waste.

However, the relationship has faced mounting criticism. Comments by Palantir cofounder Peter Thiel in 2023 suggesting the UK should "rip the whole [NHS] from the ground and start over" raised questions about the company's suitability as a government contractor. A manifesto published by Palantir based on CEO Alex Karp's recent book prompted additional concerns about political partisanship.

Louis Mosley, head of Palantir's European business, has defended the company as politically neutral: "We're neither right-wing nor left-wing. We have the full spectrum of political views within the company."

Effectiveness questioned

Beyond political concerns, the platform's efficacy remains disputed. While Palantir claims to have reduced wait times and improved operating theater utilization, the NHS division responsible for Greater Manchester declined to adopt the platform, stating its in-house software achieves superior results.

Laura Gilbert, senior director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute, told WIRED: "It's exactly the use case that you don't outsource, and you certainly don't outsource outside the country. We should be learning from that data and building a better health service, not allowing an offshore company to learn and build better products they can sell to someone else."

Government review underway

Following a parliamentary report published in early June warning about the UK's growing dependence on Palantir, technology secretary Liz Kendall announced the government is reviewing "every single aspect" of the NHS contract before deciding whether to continue the deal.

The protest was organized by Pull the Plug, an activist group focused on AI's societal impact, and attended by Amnesty International and Unison, a health care workers' union. Frieda Lurken, cofounder of Pull the Plug, said: "We want ordinary people to get a say in how AI is used in our lives."

Palantir has demonstrated willingness to fight removal from UK public sector contracts. According to The Times, the company is preparing to sue London mayor Sadiq Khan over his decision to block a $65 million deal with the Metropolitan Police.

These details were first reported by Joel Khalili for WIRED.