OMM Redaksiyası
Members of the UK Labour Party are seeking to pressure the government into cancelling a £330 million (nearly $438 million) contract with US technology company “Palantir” to operate the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), according to the submitted motion.
The emergency motion, put forward by the Labour-affiliated Socialist Health Association and at least three constituency Labour parties, urges the Department of Health and Social Care to activate a termination clause in the contract.
Concerns over human rights record
The FDP uses “Palantir’s” artificial intelligence-powered data analytics software to bring together information from across the National Health Service. The platform is intended to help hospitals analyse data more efficiently and identify possible improvements.
The motion raises concerns about alleged human rights violations linked to the company. It says “Palantir” is facing allegations of involvement in serious breaches of human rights, including through the development of technology for Israel’s military amid its occupation of Palestinian territory and the war in Gaza.
It also points to the appointment of Labour peer and former deputy leader Tom Watson as senior vice president of “Palantir” UK. The motion’s authors say that connections between senior politicians and private companies can undermine public trust, particularly when public contracts are awarded.
Calls for the contract to be terminated
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee have both called for the government to invoke the contract’s February 2027 termination clause. The contract was signed in 2023.
The British Medical Association and trade union “Unison” have also supported calls to use the clause.
“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,” said Rathi Guhadasan, chair of the Socialist Health Association.
“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,” she added.
The conference committee is due to decide on Saturday whether the emergency motion will be debated and put to a vote at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, which begins on Sunday. The motion is backed by Momentum and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
