Palantir lobbied UK health minister to extend AI into NHS GP records

Palantir’s UK head Louis Mosley lobbied former health minister Zubir Ahmed between July 2025 and March 2026 to extend the company’s AI technology into NHS general practitioner records, based on WhatsApp messages released under freedom of information laws.

The messages span nine months and include a briefing document. Palantir warned Ahmed that the previous government had ruled GP data out of scope when announcing the Federated Data Platform, and that opponents would make hay if the politics were not handled in advance.

In November 2023, Palantir secured the lead role on the £330 million seven-year agreement to run NHS England’s Federated Data Platform. GP data was expressly excluded from that agreement, and Sunak’s government said when announcing the deal that GP data would not be part of the national platform.

In February 2026, Mosley told Ahmed that Foundry was ideal for joining primary and secondary care data, saying, “the logic of joining up primary and secondary [care] data is unarguable.” Palantir said applying its Foundry platform to GP data could bring faster access to general practitioners, more effective management of frail patients, and more effective preventive care while maintaining local control of data.

Palantir’s messaging to Ahmed said the Federated Data Platform was already delivering strong results but would deliver more benefits faster under ministerial sponsorship. The company included this in a briefing to encourage the minister to support expanding the platform’s scope.

The British Medical Association and other doctor and patient groups object to bringing GP records onto Palantir’s platform, saying they lack trust and fear damage to patient trust and the doctor-patient relationship. Dr Tom Dolphin, chair of the BMA council, warned that Palantir getting access to identifiable personal data from GP records would be scope creep and would harm trust and the doctor-patient relationship. He said patients should not have to worry about which operators might see copies of their personal data.

Amnesty International UK says Palantir’s tools are used by the Israeli military in Gaza and by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to track migrants, and it describes this as profiting from human rights violations. Campaigners cite Palantir’s contracts with the Israeli military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as reasons for public mistrust. The company is co-founded by Peter Thiel, a Trump-supporting billionaire.

Marc Farr, chair of the NHS Chief Data and Analytical Officer Network, said Palantir appears to be bidding beyond ministerial statements that GP data was outside its scope, and that the government would need new legislation. He said public trust and transparency are essential to realizing the opportunities that technology and data offer.

Legal objections filed by more than 44,000 people rely on article 21 of the UK GDPR and aim to stop the NHS Federated Data Platform from handling their health records. The objections rely on the right to object and demand that NHS England pause processing while NHS England weighs requests. The not-for-profit 38 Degrees coordinated the filings, and its campaigns director Veronica Hawking said the government should treat the scale of public backlash as a wake-up call.

Health charity MedAct says more than 85,000 patients lodged formal complaints with their hospitals about Palantir’s involvement. Select committees of the House of Commons urged the government to use the break clause to end its contract with Palantir. The NHS Chief Data and Analytical Officers Network urged the government to consider the break clause, saying the platform had not demonstrated expected value. Campaigners wanted the company forced out as soon as spring.

Palantir said it processes patient data only on NHS instructions, and the data remains in the UK, and that trusts logged 117,000 extra operations and a 14.3% cut in discharge delays. “All NHS organisations remain in control of their data within the FDP, with suppliers unable to access it for their own purposes,” NHS England said.

The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment on the WhatsApp messages and the lobbying after The Guardian approached it. Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, told parliament that the review was ongoing and described a significant long-term benefit for UK sovereign AI from using the NHS, with the contract reaching its next end point in 2029. Department of Health and Social Care documents redact Palantir’s executive name, but Palantir did not deny the executive was UK boss Louis Mosley.

Palantir said it has long maintained that sharing data benefits NHS patients and taxpayers, and that the government decides how to roll out the software. The Financial Times reported that ministers were unlikely to end Palantir’s NHS contract imminently because ending it would be too disruptive without an alternative lined up.

Louise Haigh, the Labour MP, said in September that a government report finding the Palantir partnership could fail to generate net value might lead the government to end it. The comment preceded the Financial Times report on ministers’ position.

Zubir Ahmed left his post as health minister in May 2026 as part of efforts to force Keir Starmer’s resignation. Ahmed was the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, and the messages span until March 2026. He praised Louis Mosley’s BBC One Sunday politics appearance, messaging “Great work [on] Kuenssberg btw.”

Palantir urged Ahmed to act before likely political opposition from doctors and critics including Green party leader Zack Polanski and Your Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. The company told the minister the politics of using GP data were not straightforward and needed explaining early to prevent critics from exploiting the issue.

The Scottish Government said it will not work with Palantir and that NHS Scotland will never open patient data to firms like Palantir. The lobbying does not relate to NHS Scotland because Westminster has devolved health. SNP health spokesperson Seamus Logan said the Labour Government has serious questions to answer and asked where Scottish Labour MP Michael Marra stands on opening NHS Scotland to Palantir.

On Apr. 16, 2026, nearly 7,000 people contacted their MPs ahead of a Westminster debate in which 22 MPs voiced concerns about Palantir’s NHS contract. The debate concerned NHS England’s Federated Data Platform delivered by Palantir.

Amnesty International UK ran its action against Palantir’s NHS contract in partnership with Medact and Health Workers for a Free Palestine. Amnesty supporters expressed concern that there is a lack of clarity over how NHS patient data will stay secure and that it could in future target people in the UK based on immigration status.

A template letter from Amnesty International supporters said Palantir’s NHS contract comes up for renewal in February 2027 and asked supporters to call on the government to end it by its review date. The letter also cited Peter Thiel’s reply to a protester about killings of Palestinians in Gaza.

Donald Campbell, director of advocacy at Foxglove, said the WhatsApps revealed Palantir lobbying to collect more of the British public’s sensitive personal data despite pledges made in 2023. He said the fact that Palantir made its argument on GP records privately, through privileged access to government, was telling.