Ministers must decide by Christmas whether to extend Palantir's NHS data contract

Summary

Labour MP Ben Coleman, a member of the health and social care committee, writes in a Guardian column that Palantir's £330m contract to run NHS England's federated data platform ends next March, and ministers must decide by Christmas whether to extend it. Coleman says the committee recommended no extension in June, because people do not trust Palantir, its benefits are contested, and other tools could deliver the same or similar advantages. He argues the harder question is what replaces it: hiring a single British firm would not give the NHS the control it lacks, namely the freedom to switch supplier without losing what it has built. He calls for the NHS to move on from Palantir and transition to new suppliers that put it in full control of its technology and patient data, starting next spring.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   9 Nov 2026, 06:00 UTCSource ↗

   In a column by Labour MP Ben Coleman, the Guardian argues that Ministers must decide by Christmas whether to extend Palantir's £330m NHS England federated data platform contract, which ends next March, and that the NHS should transition to suppliers that give it full control of its technology and patient data.