Andy Burnham considers bannning Palantir from the NHS and the right is furious about it
Right-wing figures have rushed to defend the US tech company, which has contracts with the Israeli military and ICE
Andy Burnham is reported to be considering banning Palantir from the NHS if he becomes prime minister, which has sparked a backlash from right-wing figures.
According to The Telegraph, Burnham is currently reviewing the government’s artificial intelligence strategy, and an aide said he thinks “unfettered tech boosterism” is turning off voters.
The article also notes that during his time as Manchester Mayor, Burnham did not grant the US tech company any contracts.
Palantir has contracts with the Israeli military, which has used its software for its military operations in Gaza, and also with Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the US, which uses it to track and deport people.
In 2023, NHS England awarded a £330 million contract to Palantir to build a data platform to reduce NHS waiting lists.
Multiple figures on the right have reacted furiously to the news that Burnham is looking at scrapping the contract.
Tom Harwood, deputy political editor at GB News, said it was “absurd” and “insane” that Burnham is considering putting a stop to Palantir’s involvement in the NHS.
In a post on X, Harwood said: “This is absurd. Palantir tech saves lives. If the NHS can’t interpret its own data well it will continue to deliver substandard care.
“In Florida, Palantir software has more than halved sepsis deaths. Down 68%. It spots trends early that humans can’t. Abandoning that for ideological reasons is *insane*.”
The owner of GB News, Paul Marshall, owns a hedge fund, Marshall Wallace, which has a stake of over £400 million in Palantir.
In addition, claims that Palantir software cuts waiting lists have also been disputed.
A recent investigation by The Londoner newspaper found that the waiting list at one particular NHS trust, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, has risen by 20,000 despite claims that Palantir’s software reduced it by 183,061.
Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group at the London Assembly, also defended Palantir, stating: “Why? Palantir are supposed to be the best in their field?”.
Likewise, the director of Thatcherite think tank the Centre for Policy Studies, responded to the reports on X by saying: “Who cares about saving lives when you can pander to the left?”.
As one X user put it, “Why are the British right always America first?”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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