Palantir pushed to add GP data to NHS AI

Palantir Technologies urged a former UK health minister to include general practitioner records in its artificial intelligence platform, according to messages released Monday. The correspondence, obtained via a freedom of information request, spans from July 2025 to March 2026. It reveals direct lobbying efforts by the company's UK lead, Louis Mosley, directed at former health minister Zubir Ahmed.

The push occurred in February 2026, despite GP data being explicitly excluded from Palantir's existing 330 million pound contract with NHS England. That current agreement allows the firm to operate a federated data platform. The company claims this system has already reduced surgery waiting times and discharge delays. However, the new messages suggest Palantir sought to widen its access to primary care data.

In a briefing document, the firm advised Ahmed to anticipate political resistance from medical professionals and critics. It specifically named Green Party leader Zack Polanski and the leaders of Your Party, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. Palantir argued that combining primary and secondary care data would yield faster benefits with ministerial support. It also warned that the politics were not straightforward because the previous government had ruled such data out of scope.

Medical groups, including the British Medical Association, oppose integrating GP data into the platform. They cite a lack of trust in the company, which also works with the Israeli military and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When the Conservative government announced the original deal three years ago, it stated that GP data would not be part of the national platform. Donald Campbell, director of advocacy at the campaign group Foxglove, described the lobbying as an attempt to hoover up more sensitive personal data.

Tom Dolphin, chair of the BMA council, warned that scope creep could undermine the doctor-patient relationship. He emphasized that patients must seek care without worrying about which operators hold duplicates of their information. Marc Farr, chair of the NHS Chief Data and Analytical Officers Network, noted that Palantir appears to be stretching its scope beyond ministerial statements. Those statements said GP data would require legislative change.

The lobbying activity coincides with reports that the government may extend the contract, which is set to end in 2029. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament last week that a review is ongoing. She highlighted the long-term benefit of using the NHS to develop UK sovereign AI. Bloomberg also reported that Labour peer Tom Watson, hired by Palantir in September, recently wrote to Cooper urging her to keep the contract. He stated he wanted to ensure the firm meets new social value tests.

Palantir responded by stating that its software helps different NHS organizations share data while ensuring they maintain full local control. The firm added that the decision on how to roll out the software rests with the government. The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment on the matter. In one message, Ahmed praised a performance on a BBC1 Sunday politics programme, writing, “Great work [on] Kuenssberg btw.”