‘Hands Off Our NHS’: Anti-Palantir Protests Erupt in the UK Over £330 Million Data Deal
Protesters gathered outside the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester on June 11, carrying “Hands Off Our NHS” signs and calling for the government to terminate a data partnership with the American data analytics company Palantir Technologies. The demonstration, organized by the campaign group Pull the Plug and supported by Amnesty International and the Unison union, is the latest public flashpoint in a three-year controversy over Palantir’s role in the UK’s health service.
At the center of the dispute is the Federated Data Platform, a contract worth up to £480 million over seven years that Palantir won in November 2023. The platform is designed to connect data across 240 NHS organizations, covering hospitals, ambulance trusts, and primary care networks. It gives Palantir access to identifiable patient records, operational data, and GP data.
### The Core of the Controversy
Critics argue the deal outsources control of the most sensitive data in the country to a company with a history they find hard to separate from the product. Palantir was founded with CIA backing through Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Its software has been used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify and deport undocumented immigrants. The company has also faced scrutiny over its contracts with the Israeli military; the United Nations has identified Palantir as among the companies enabling actions that may violate international law in Gaza.
The British Medical Association, which represents more than 200,000 doctors, has called for the contract to be scrapped. The Good Law Project and the digital rights organization Foxglove have pursued legal challenges over the lack of transparency in the contracting process. When the contract was initially awarded, more than 70 percent of its text was redacted in public disclosures.
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, a cross-party group of MPs, published a report in June 2026 describing Palantir as an “unacceptable point of weakness” and a “clear mismatch with UK values.” The committee recommended that the government exercise the contract’s break clause in February 2027.
### A Pattern of Protests
The Manchester demonstration is not the first. In March 2026, protesters gathered outside Palantir’s London headquarters in Soho. In February, campaigners delivered a symbolic termination notice to Palantir’s offices and later disrupted a party celebrating a Ministry of Defense contract win for the company.
The protests have drawn support from across the political spectrum, uniting groups that rarely agree on technology policy. Amnesty International UK has highlighted the human rights implications. Medact, a health justice organization, has warned about the implications of corporate surveillance infrastructure inside the NHS. The Unison union has raised concerns about the impact on NHS staff and patients.
### The Government’s Position
The Department of Health and Social Care has publicly defended the contract, insisting that Palantir does not own or control patient data and that the platform is designed to improve patient outcomes through better data coordination. But internal briefings released through Freedom of Information requests tell a more complicated story. Documents show that senior officials warned Health Secretary Wes Streeting that Palantir’s reputation was actively hindering the rollout of the platform across NHS trusts. Some trusts have resisted implementation.
The contract includes a break clause in February 2027, and the government is known to be exploring its options. The Science and Technology Committee’s recommendation has added political pressure, but terminating the contract would leave a gap in the NHS’s data infrastructure that would need an alternative provider or an in-house replacement.
### Palantir’s Defense
Palantir has consistently denied any political partisanship in its work. The company says its software is used to “deliver better public services” and that its role is strictly technical. It has not commented specifically on the June 11 protest. The company holds more than £500 million in UK public contracts across health, defense, and policing.
### What Happens Next
The February 2027 break clause deadline is now roughly eight months away. The government faces a choice: exercise the clause and manage the disruption of replacing a major data infrastructure provider, or renew and face continued political and public opposition. Meanwhile, Pull the Plug has said it will continue organizing protests and escalating pressure on NHS trust boards to opt out of the platform individually.
Sources: WIRED (June 11, 2026); The Guardian (June 11, 2026); Good Law Project (June 2026); UK Parliament Science and Technology Committee (June 2026)