Palantir debate has shifted from IT transformation to politics

As the debate over the suitability of the US technology provider Palantir continues, three articles over the weekend underline how divided the consensus has become. Coming to Palantir's defence, Camilla Cavendish wrote a piece for the Financial Times (£) discussing how the NHS was drowning in data in 2020. While much of this data was of little value, it was clear to Cavendish, a temporary adviser at the time, that the legacy system mess was impacting healthcare delivery. Cavendish points out, rightly or wrongly, the "NHS that has become embroiled in the politics of the IT supplier, rather than what it can deliver." 

To illustrate the point further, The Register notes that Health Innovation and Safety Minister Preet Kaur Gill told MPs that, while patients cannot prevent their data from being processed by Palantir's Federated Data Platform (FDP), NHS trusts can choose not to use it. 

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has said it will have to cut approximately 700 additional frontline jobs following the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan's move to block a £50 million contract with the company. 

This comes after the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee published a report on 3 June claiming that: "Palantir shouldn’t play such a significant role in the UK public sector," and "it’s not the only company capable of providing the ‘middleware’ required by public bodies."

£ - The Financial Times article requires a subscription. 

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