Palantir Lobbied Minister to Expand AI Reach Into NHS GP Records

Palantir lobbied a UK health minister to consider extending its artificial intelligence software into sensitive family doctor medical records, according to messages obtained by a campaign group.

The US technology company used a direct messaging channel to argue that joining primary and secondary health care data was essential and that its software was ideal for the work. The push took place in February, even though general practitioner data was explicitly excluded from Palantir's existing £330m contract with NHS England. That agreement covers a federated data platform intended to help reduce hospital wait times and discharge delays.

Messages obtained under freedom of information laws by the tech equity campaign group Foxglove show the outreach spanned from July 2025 to March 2026. In the correspondence, Palantir urged the former health minister Zubir Ahmed to prepare for expected political opposition from doctors and political critics. The firm also suggested that applying its Foundry software platform to GP data could provide faster access to doctors and more effective care for frail patients while keeping data under local control.

Medical and patient organizations, including the British Medical Association, strongly oppose including doctor records in the company's platform. Leaders from these groups argue that public trust in the firm is lacking and that accessing identifiable personal information could harm the relationship between doctors and patients. Marc Farr, chair of the NHS Chief Data and Analytical Officer Network, noted that expanding the scope beyond ministerial statements would require legislative change.

Government officials previously stated when announcing the deal three years ago that doctor records would not be part of the national platform. Meanwhile, reviews of the broader data contract remain ongoing, with health secretary Yvette Cooper telling parliament that the government is weighing long-term plans for domestic technology development.

Summary

Private lobbying to include sensitive medical records in a commercial software platform highlights ongoing tensions over data privacy in public healthcare. The push raises unresolved questions about whether the government will maintain its pledge to exclude primary care data as contract reviews proceed.