A bipartisan group of UK politicians published a report on June 2, 2026, warning that the country’s growing reliance on data analytics company Palantir “represents an unacceptable point of weakness” that could give the firm excessive leverage in future negotiations.
The 11-member Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee cautioned that deep vendor lock-in could ultimately result in more expensive and lower-quality services. In a worst-case scenario, committee chair Dame Chi Onwurah said, an entrenched supplier could threaten to withhold service to impose its will — an outcome she described as potentially capable of bringing “public services and our economy to a halt.”
The committee recommended that the National Health Service activate a clause in its Palantir contract next February to terminate the relationship early. The UK government first began using Palantir’s technology in 2020 to track the spread of Covid-19 and coordinate medical supply chains. Since then, Palantir and its partners have secured contracts worth a combined $750 million with the NHS and the Ministry of Defense, among other agencies.
Beyond the commercial risks, the report cited a “clear mismatch with UK values.” It pointed to comments by Palantir cofounder Peter Thiel, who in 2023 described British affection for the NHS as “Stockholm syndrome,” and a 22-point manifesto tied to a book by CEO Alex Karp that advocates for alignment with US interests above others. “We have a key vendor saying they will exercise technology in accordance with their political mission,” Onwurah said.
The report also flagged similar dependencies on Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Fujitsu, but stated that “Palantir concerns us most.” The committee’s scrutiny has intensified alongside Palantir’s work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US and Israeli militaries.
Louis Mosley, who heads Palantir’s European business, previously told the committee that the company aims to “support democratically elected governments” and does not take political positions as a company. Palantir did not respond to a request for comment on the report.
Source: WIRED