Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

NHS faces legal action over data firm contract

NHS faces legal action over data firm contract

The NHS is being taken to court over its contract with controversial US data firm Palantir.

Open Democracy said it had launched the legal action over Palantir's long-term involvement in the analysis of vast amounts of public health data.

It also alleges that Palantir lobbied a top NHS official over expensive watermelon cocktails.

Palantir has often been a frequent target of scrutiny by privacy campaigners.

The firm helps analyse huge volumes of data from governments and others, and sorts through the tangle for useful insights, patterns and connections.

Once a notoriously secret firm, it was founded with support from the US Central Intelligence Agency in 2003, and has been linked to efforts to track undocumented migrant workers in America in recent years.

It also has a substantial presence in London, with hundreds of employees.

What happened?


Palantir's initial involvement in the NHS began in March 2020 alongside other tech giants, as part of a short-term attempt to predict how best to deploy resources to deal with the pandemic, using a so-called "datastore" of health information.

But Open Democracy, which labels Palantir a "spy-tech" company, is critical of the extension of that short-term contract in December. It will now run for two years, and cost £23.5m.

The initial deal "was a short-term, emergency response to the pandemic. But December's new, two-year contract reaches far beyond Covid: to Brexit, general business planning and much more," the group said.

It said the deal "risks demolishing trust in the NHS".

Under the Palantir deal, NHS data is anonymised - with no names, addresses, or other identifying details - and it is not kept by Palantir. The firm contributes use of its software and staff, but does not store the data itself, which remains under the control of the NHS.

The technical complaint in the legal case is about whether a fresh Data Protection Impact Assessment needed to be done for the revised deal.

An NHS spokesperson said an assessment had been done in April, "and an update will be published in due course".

But Foxglove, the non-profit legal team handling the case for Open Democracy, said any new contract needed a new impact assessment.

"The government shouldn't use the pandemic as an excuse to embed major tech firms like Palantir in the NHS without consulting the public," said director Cori Crider.

"The datastore is the largest pool of patient data in UK history. It's one thing to set it up on an emergency basis, it's a different kettle of fish to give a tech firm like Palantir a permanent role in NHS infrastructure," she said.

Open Democracy and Foxglove are crowdfunding £30,000 for the costs of the case. Any remaining funds will be split between them.

What about the watermelon cocktails?


The launch of the legal case coincides with the release of details about Palantir's lobbying of the UK government by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in partnership with Sky News.

In July 2019, Palantir's UK chief hosted Lord David Prior, chair of NHS England, the night before the launch of the NHS new technology division, NHSX, the Bureau said.

The next day, Lord Prior emailed to thank his host for the "interesting dinner and also for the watermelon cocktails" - which Sky said cost about £60.

Exchanges between the NHS and Palantir continued over the next few months, leading to the first contract at the outset of the pandemic, the Bureau said.

However, such activities are not unusual.

"It doesn't look great, but all the big suppliers to government do it," said Peter Smith, former president of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply and author of Bad Buying, a book about public money wasted through poor purchasing.

Procurement officials are expected to stay on top of developments in the field, he said, although "whether it's best done over £60 cocktails is another question".


But "it would be wrong to just say no senior civil servant or minister should ever meet a prospective supplier", he added.

Regarding the awarding of the actual contract, Mr Smith said Palantir was on a list of pre-approved government suppliers, which "gives it some credibility and legitimacy".

And £23m was not a particularly large government computing contract, he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×