19th February 2026

Concerns about Palantir contract
Palantir is a US surveillance technology company that also works for the Israeli military and Donald Trump’s ICE operation. Fewer thean half of health authorities in England had started using the technology amid opposition from the public and doctors. Whitehall officials privately warned that the public perception of Palantir would limit its rollout, meaning the contract would not offer value for money.

Many NHS trusts not using Palantir’s FDP
Many of England’s largest and most prestigious trusts are yet to start using the federated data platform, despite a push from the centre for full adoption from April 2026.

ICE using Palantir software to hunt “illegals”
US immigration agents are using an app developed by Palantir that draws on the health records of millions of Americans to find and detain people they deem illegal immigrants.

Mandelson-Palantir links must be exposed
Foxglove, a fair tech campaign group, led calls for the Cabinet Office to release information relating to any involvement by Mandelson in the negotiation of Palantir’s contracts. It demands that Keir Starmer and the Cabinet Secretary urgently investigate whether Mandelson used his position as Ambassador to the US to unfairly benefit the secretive US tech company.

Privatiser Milburn earned £8 million from private healthcare
The man chosen to drive through Streeting’s NHS “reforms”, i.e. privatisation, former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, has  earned £8.36 million from the consultancy he owns.  He also chairs PricewaterhouseCooper’s health industries oversight board and is also a senior advisor to private equity group Bridgepoint Capital, which owns one of England’s largest external providers of NHS services .