Brian Leishman MP: Why Palantir should be nowhere near our cherished institutions
Brian Leishman MP shares his views.
In my opinion, the NHS is our greatest invention.
For me, patriotism does not come from a flag. Instead, it is things like the National Health Service that makes me proud of our country.
Like most of us, I rely on the NHS too.
It saved my eyesight, and I continue to receive excellent treatment and checkups for glaucoma.
Last week, I voted on the Health Bill, and while this relates just to the NHS in England, many constituents from across Alloa and Grangemouth reached out to me before the vote explaining their concerns regarding Palantir’s involvement with the service that is valued by so many.
And I share their concerns. Palantir is a US-based defence and health AI technology company which received a £330 million contract in 2023 to operate a federated data platform for the health service south of the border.
As is often the case with companies that care about nothing but creating value for shareholders, this company will do anything for profit.
It has worked with the Israeli military as it continues to commit a genocide against the Palestinian people, and also supplies ICE in the US along with other public and military bodies stateside.
It is safe to say that the company’s human rights record is truly abysmal.
Palantir is seeking to become more and more embedded in UK public services. That is a concern because in my view, its values do not match the values of our nation.
Indeed, the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee recently said in a report on delivering a digital government that of the small number of technology providers relied upon by our public services, “Palantir concerns us the most”.
The report went on to say that its “increasing presence across the public sector represents an unacceptable point of weakness”.
This month, it has also been revealed that tens of thousands of patients have withdrawn their data from use in research projects as mistrust continues to grow.
Doctors are just as sceptical, especially after it emerged that the company’s staff had access to identifiable patient data.
The company’s founder Peter Thiel, said in 2023 that the NHS makes people sick. He also reckons school makes people dumb.
This is a direct conflict with many of the values we hold dear in Britain, and one of the reasons I supported amendment NC108 to the Health Bill by Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby.
The amendment ensured that public authorities can exclude companies from bidding for a tender if they have proven involvement in violations of international law.
Palantir’s technology has contributed to the killing of civilians and the destruction of schools. The irony would be funny if it was not so tragically sad, but Palantir’s software has also helped the Israeli Defence Forces dismantle healthcare in Gaza.
The bottom line is that Palantir should be nowhere near any of our cherished institutions.