The UK government will extend Palantir's £330m NHS health contract before seeking a UK tech replacement, with a potential switch in two years.
The UK government plans to extend Palantir's controversial £330m health contract before drawing up plans to replace it with a British alternative, the Financial Times has reported.
A review concluded that removing Palantir from NHS data systems by triggering a break clause in its contract would be too disruptive, according to the FT. Ministers instead plan to launch a procurement process for a UK tech alternative, with Palantir potentially to be replaced in two years.
The system aims to connect scattered medical files, speed up hospital discharges and improve surgery scheduling among other potentially life-saving improvements.
Palantir's UK and Europe chief executive, Louis Mosley, said ending its contract would be "putting politics above patients" and accused critics of "Palantir Derangement Syndrome".
Green party leader Zack Polanski accused Labour of "betrayal" and said it was "allowing the corporate capture of our most beloved institution by a genocide and Donald Trump supporting tech corporation."
He added:
"The reports today that Labour is to keep Palantir in the NHS shows that the huge sums of money paid to the likes of former Labour ministers, Peter Mandelson and Tom Watson, looks to have paid off."
Polanski also said any evidence of patient benefit is highly contested by NHS staff and many NHS trusts have rejected the use of Palantir's platform.
The extension keeps a US tech firm embedded in NHS data systems while the government prepares a British replacement, amid continued criticism from campaigners and NHS staff.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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