The UK government signed a NHS ‘datastore’ deal with Palantir in March 2020, announced as a short-term, emergency response to the pandemic. In December 2021, it signed a new, £23m two-year contract with far wider implications, and without public debate. News site openDemocracy sued the government in February 2021 over the opacity of the deal and the risks to public health data the engagement poses.

In March 2021, the government responded to the lawsuit by pausing the deal, committing not to extend Palantir’s contract beyond COVID-19 without consulting the public. They have agreed to engage the public about whether firms like Palantir are appropriate for a long-term role in the NHS.

In August 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care stated it was looking for a company to migrate data on adult social care from a system designed and run by Palantir to a new in-house system.