{"text":[[{"start":8.75,"text":"Palantir should not have such a “significant role” across sensitive UK defence, health and policing data systems, MPs said on Wednesday, warning that the US technology company’s presence was an “unacceptable point of weakness”."}],[{"start":23.65,"text":"The House of Commons technology committee called on ministers to trigger a 2027 break clause in the company’s £330mn contract to build the Federated Data Platform (FDP), a tool that connects disparate NHS data into a single system, and instead seek a UK-based provider. "}],[{"start":44.55,"text":"Palantir’s role in public sector infrastructure has come under mounting scrutiny, owing to the company’s ties to the US defence sector and its co-founder and chief executive Alex Karp’s vocal support for Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown."}],[{"start":58.199999999999996,"text":"“Palantir should not have such a significant role in the UK public sector . . . [its] increasing presence . . . represents an unacceptable point of weakness,” the committee said in a report, warning of the risk of “vendor lock-in” with an individual supplier."}],[{"start":71.44999999999999,"text":"“Dependence on overseas providers of digital and technology services is a weakness for adversaries to exploit,” it added, with reliance on “a small number of US-based providers” leaving “ambitions to digitally transform public services potentially at the mercy of foreign actors”. "}],[{"start":89.89999999999999,"text":"But Louis Mosley, head of Palantir UK, hit back, accusing the committee of “putting the politics of the playground before public services” and ignoring evidence that the company’s technology was “proven to deliver more NHS operations, less crime and better military capability”. "}],[{"start":108,"text":"In calling for an end to Palantir’s role in the FDP, the MPs were “trying to grab a quick headline at the expense of their own constituents’ care”, he added."}],[{"start":117.65,"text":"Palantir has contracts totalling hundreds of millions of pounds in the UK, including with the Ministry of Defence, the police and the Financial Conduct Authority. "}],[{"start":127.15,"text":"But its deal with the NHS has become a flashpoint in recent months: some staff have boycotted the data platform citing ethical objections, while supporters have praised Palantir’s efforts to improve patient outcomes."}],[{"start":139.70000000000002,"text":"Last month, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s office intervened to stop the Metropolitan Police awarding Palantir a £50mn contract after concerns over the procurement process and value for money."}],[{"start":152.45000000000002,"text":"The committee on Wednesday said its findings were not “ideologically motivated or driven by concerns about the quality of [Palantir’s] products”."}],[{"start":160.45000000000002,"text":"But, pointing to comments by the company’s co-founder Peter Thiel, who previously said “the NHS makes people sick”, the MPs said Palantir had increased its UK presence despite a “clear mismatch with UK values”. "}],[{"start":174.25000000000003,"text":"The government was “worryingly comfortable” with the public sector’s reliance on a small number of digital providers, they added, noting that ministers had “no clear plan” to create a “modern digital state”. "}],[{"start":185.15000000000003,"text":"The committee also called on the government to confirm the exact nature of Palantir’s access to NHS patient data, after an FT story revealed that NHS England had granted external staff from companies including Palantir “unlimited access” to patient data while working on one part of the FDP."}],[{"start":204.00000000000003,"text":"It also urged the government to set out why Palantir had won a £240mn contract from the MoD for “data analytics capabilities supporting critical strategic, tactical and live operational decision-making” over three years without a competitive tender process."}],[{"start":223.30000000000004,"text":"A government spokesperson said that digital platforms were “already making a real difference to public services”, adding that the NHS Federated Data Platform was “joining up care, speeding up cancer diagnoses and ensuring thousands of additional patients can be treated each month, with strict data security requirements in place”."}],[{"start":242.15000000000003,"text":"The person said the government was acting “to reduce reliance on any single tech supplier”, adding: “We welcome the committee’s report and will consider its recommendations carefully.”"}],[{"start":260.35,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780472874_7271.mp3"}