Palantir secretly lobbied health minister on WhatsApp to add GP records to FDP
Published: 09/11/2026
| The Guardian
US technology company Palantir lobbied a former health minister to expand the scope of its artificial intelligence (AI) software into primary care records, despite GP data being excluded from its £330 million Federated Data Platform (FDP) contract with NHS England.
WhatsApp messages obtained under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) by campaign group Foxglove reveal communications between former Health Minister Zubir Ahmed and Palantir's UK country leader, Louis Mosley, between July 2025 and March 2026. Palantir argued that linking primary and secondary care information was logical, claiming its Foundry software was ideal for the task and could facilitate quicker GP appointments, better preventative care, and increased support for frail patients while maintaining local control of patient data. Mosley encouraged Ahmed to provide ministerial sponsorship to accelerate deployment and preempt political opposition from medical groups and political figures.
The disclosures have drawn sharp criticism from healthcare representatives. British Medical Association (BMA) Council Chair Dr Tom Dolphin warned of dangerous mission creep, arguing that commercial access to identifiable records threatens patient confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship. Meanwhile, Marc Farr, chair of the NHS Chief Data and Analytical Officer Network, noted that seeking access to GP data contravenes previous assurances that primary care records would be excluded from the FDP.
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