Labour Delegates Push to Scrap USD438M NHS Deal With Palantir
An emergency motion submitted to the conference urges the Department of Health and Social Care to invoke a break clause in its agreement with Palantir over the company's operation of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), which uses Palantir's AI-driven analytics software to consolidate data across the health service, helping hospitals analyze information and identify areas for improvement.
The motion, put forward by the Labour-affiliated Socialist Health Association and at least three constituency Labour parties, cites concerns over Palantir's alleged role in human rights abuses. It states the company is "facing numerous allegations of involvement in serious breaches of human rights, including due to it developing technology for Israel's military to use in its unlawful occupation of Palestinian land and genocide in Gaza."
The motion also points to the appointment of Labour peer and former deputy leader Tom Watson as senior vice president at Palantir UK, with its authors arguing that "links between senior politicians and private companies creates distrust amongst voters, particularly where public contracts are awarded… the Labour government has a responsibility to uphold public trust in politics."
Both the Science and Technology Committee and the Health and Social Care Committee have urged the government to trigger the February 2027 termination clause in the FDP contract, which was signed in 2023. The British Medical Association and the union Unison have also called for the clause to be invoked.
Rathi Guhadasan, chair of the Socialist Health Association, said: "Palantir's human rights record is easily enough to disqualify it from government contracts - from its use in Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, to Israel's use of its technology to target Palestinians in its genocide in Gaza." She added, "But even on its own terms, a growing body of evidence within the NHS shows its technology is not fit for purpose or cost effective."
The conference committee will decide Saturday whether the emergency motion will go to debate and a vote during Labour's annual gathering in Liverpool, which opens Sunday. The motion has the backing of Momentum and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
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