Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has launched a scathing critique against the current UK Labour government for awarding a substantial £240 million contract to US technology firm Palantir, citing the company’s controversial associations with the Israeli military. The agreement, finalized by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in December, secures Palantir’s data analytics capabilities for strategic and operational military decision-making over a three-year period.
This new contract triples the value of a previous 2022 arrangement and positions Palantir as a key partner in modernizing Britain’s armed forces. The government has further committed to investing up to £750 million in collaborative opportunities with Palantir over the next five years.
Corbyn, now representing the left-wing Your Party, condemned the partnership in remarks to Middle East Eye, stating: “From Trump’s anti-migrant authoritarianism to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Palantir has enabled abominable human rights abuses worldwide. It is truly shameful that this government treats crimes against humanity as business opportunities.”
The controversy extends beyond defense applications. Last summer, Palantir’s separate £330 million agreement to process National Health Service data drew significant criticism from medical professionals, including the British Medical Association, which warned the deal “threatens to undermine public trust in NHS data systems.”
Palantir’s extensive government partnerships include a strategic alliance with Israel’s defense ministry established in January 2024 and ongoing collaboration with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. The company’s technology was reportedly deployed in Israel’s September 2024 pager attacks in Lebanon, which resulted in 42 fatalities and thousands of injuries, including many civilians.
According to UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s July report, there are “reasonable grounds to believe Palantir has provided automatic predictive policing technology, core defence infrastructure for rapid and scaled-up construction and deployment of military software, and its Artificial Intelligence Platform, which allows real-time battlefield data integration for automated decision making.”
The criticism transcends party lines, with former Conservative Defence Secretary Ben Wallace questioning the authenticity of the partnership, describing it as “some fake London office with a few PR people and ad campaigns abusing our Union Jack” rather than genuine defense collaboration.
Palantir did not respond to requests for comment regarding these allegations.