The New Dark Age

Tuesday, 10 November 2026 — Foxglove

The government’s decision on Palantir’s NHS contract could be announced any day. And right now, rumours are swirling about what they’re planning to do.

According to the Financial Times, ministers are drawing up plans which could replace Palantir with a British alternative. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they’re reportedly considering giving Palantir another two-year contract. And it’s far from certain that Palantir would even be removed from the NHS after that.

None of this has been confirmed by the government and we should be careful not to put too much weight on anonymous sources. But whatever turns out to be accurate in the FT’s reporting, one thing is clear: the decision is live, and it’s still to play for.

So this week we’re handing in our open letter to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, calling on her to trigger the break clause and get Palantir out of the NHS. If you haven’t already, please add your name before we do – it takes 30 seconds.

If the government accepts that Palantir isn’t the long-term answer for the NHS, why give it two more years first, as the FT report suggests?

The reported reason is that ministers think removing Palantir by February would be too disruptive. But Palantir’s own contract already requires it to keep supporting the NHS for up to two years if the contract ends. Nobody is talking about switching the system off overnight.

And last week Yvette Cooper told MPs she wants to use the NHS “to develop UK sovereign AI”. How does that square with keeping a secretive US spy-tech corporation, with strong links to the Trump administration, at the heart of NHS data for another two years?

These are the kinds of questions we’ll be putting to Yvette Cooper as we deliver the letter this week. Our open letter won’t make the decision for her – but every name on it makes it harder for ministers to quietly wave through two more years of Palantir. Please add yours now.

Your emails to MPs are getting through, too. At the same hearing in Parliament, Labour MP Ben Coleman told the Health Secretary that the evidence for Palantir’s effectiveness is “deeply uncertain and contested” – and pointed to reporting from Foxglove, among others. Cooper said she couldn’t answer while the review is still under way.

The review isn’t finished, and neither are we. We’ll let you know how the hand-in goes.

Thank you for being part of this.

Donald

Donald Campbell, Director of Advocacy, Foxglove

P.S. The FT also reports that the government’s review found it wasn’t practical to replace Palantir within the next four months. We’ve set out three questions ministers need to answer before they sign up for two more years – read them here.

P.P.S. Last night, the Guardian published a report on WhatsApp messages Foxglove obtained via FOI that appear to show Palantir UK chief Louis Mosley lobbying then-health minister Zubir Ahmed via WhatsApp to pull GP data into Palantir’s FDP – which the government had previously ruled out when launching the platform in 2023. Read it here.

MORE INFORMATION:

FT: UK prepares to extend Palantir’s NHS contract as it draws up plans for potential replacement – https://www.ft.com/content/bd35cc23-9c24-4ac5-8754-76ed8dd0c264

Foxglove: three questions for ministers – https://www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/11/06/three-questions-ministers-palantir-nhs-contract/

Health and Social Care Committee evidence session – https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/18242/html/

Foxglove’s October report – https://www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/10/20/palantir-nhs-foxglove-report/

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