Overview
- Palantir announced on Friday that Tom Watson has been promoted to senior vice‑president after serving as a part‑time adviser since 2024, and the company says he has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords and surrendered his parliamentary pass.
- Palantir said Watson will focus on the firm’s work in defence, policing and the NHS and will seek to correct false information while working on privacy, security and sovereign‑control issues with engineers.
- The appointment has drawn immediate criticism from MPs, campaign groups and civic advocates who cite Palantir’s past work with US immigration authorities and the Israeli military and who argue former officials can trade on contacts to win government business.
- Palantir already holds major UK contracts — including a seven‑year £330m NHS federated data platform and a £240m Ministry of Defence deal — and is suing London’s mayor after Sadiq Khan blocked a proposed £50m Metropolitan Police contract.
- Campaigners and some politicians are renewing calls for enforceable post‑government restrictions on senior officials taking industry roles, and the appointment is likely to intensify political and public scrutiny of Palantir’s UK public‑sector work.