Palantir, a US technology company co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, engaged in direct lobbying efforts with a health minister to gain access to GP records within the UK’s National Health Service, according to documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests.
The lobbying campaign, conducted through WhatsApp messages between Palantir’s UK leadership and former health minister Zubir Ahmed spanning from July 2025 through March 2026, sought to convince the government that integrating primary care data into Palantir’s existing federated data platform would benefit the NHS. The company argued that joining primary and secondary care data was logical and that its Foundry software was well-suited for managing such information. However, this push contradicted earlier government commitments made three years prior that GP data would not be included in Palantir’s £330 million contract with NHS England.
Medical organizations and patient advocacy groups have consistently opposed bringing GP records into Palantir’s system, citing concerns about public trust and the company’s work with entities including the Israeli military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The British Medical Association warned that such integration could constitute “scope creep” and potentially undermine the doctor-patient relationship. Campaign groups and political figures, including Green Party leadership, have also voiced opposition to expanding Palantir’s access to NHS data.
The revelation comes as the government faces pressure regarding its ongoing relationship with Palantir. While health secretary Yvette Cooper indicated a review was underway, reports suggested the contract would likely continue, with potential extension discussions around 2029. Recent reporting also disclosed that a Labour peer hired as a full-time Palantir lobbyist wrote to Cooper advocating for contract continuation, framing it as essential to developing UK sovereign artificial intelligence capabilities.
Palantir maintained that decisions regarding data access remain with the government and that its software ensures local control over information. The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment on the matter, and the controversy highlights ongoing tensions between technological capabilities and public confidence in data handling within healthcare systems.
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