Palantir Technologies has appointed Tom Watson, the former Labour deputy leader, as senior vice-president for its UK operations, a move announced by the company this week and reported by Bloomberg on 17 September and by the BBC, the Guardian and the Times on 18 September.
The appointment places a senior Labour figure inside a company whose two largest UK public-sector relationships are contested. Ministers are due to decide later this year whether to continue the NHS England Federated Data Platform contract, which carries a break clause in February 2027, and Palantir is suing the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime in the High Court over a blocked £50m Metropolitan Police contract.
Watson, who sits in the House of Lords as Lord Watson of Wyre Forest, has been a paid part-time adviser to Palantir since 2024 as a member of its Public Services Advisory Board, a role declared on the parliamentary register of interests. The parliamentary record shows he is currently on leave of absence from the Lords.
He will work alongside Louis Mosley, chief executive of Palantir in the UK and Europe. Palantir said Watson's brief includes leading efforts to ensure public contracts "support British jobs" across the country, and to "deepen the social and economic value its work creates through better British public services, jobs and skills".
Alex Karp, Palantir's chief executive, said in the company's announcement:
"This is just the latest chapter of Tom's forty-year fight for better public services. We are fortunate to have him guide us as we help the British government to deliver for the British public."
The Guardian reported that Watson said he was "terrifically excited" by the role, and that he highlighted two of the contracts in dispute, saying he wanted to help Palantir speed up NHS diagnosis, treatment and discharge from hospitals, and to enable police to crack crimes and root out corruption.
The appointment drew criticism from campaigners for lobbying transparency. Tom Brake, chief executive of Unlock Democracy and a former Liberal Democrat MP, told the Guardian: "The revolving door is proving very fruitful for big tech," adding: "The only surefire way to stop tech companies benefiting from privileged information acquired by ministers or senior civil servants is to introduce an enforceable five-year ban on taking up industry posts."
Palantir has previously rejected claims that it operates a revolving door strategy, saying it entirely rejects such allegations. Watson's advisory role was declared on the Lords register, and no breach of any parliamentary or governmental rule has been alleged against him.
Watson was Labour MP for West Bromwich East from 2001 until he stood down in 2019, and was the party's deputy leader from 2015 to 2019. He served as a defence minister and as a minister for digital engagement under Gordon Brown.
Palantir has held the Federated Data Platform contract since November 2023, when it was awarded to a Palantir-led consortium including Accenture, PwC, NECS and Carnall Farrar. The contract is commonly cited at up to £330m, although procurement analysis of the published award notices by Stotles puts the award value to Palantir Technologies UK Ltd at £182.2m, with £330m the maximum value if more trusts adopt the platform.
Two Commons select committees have urged the government to walk away. The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee recommended in June that the February 2027 break clause be exercised and a costed exit plan published by the end of 2026. In July the Health and Social Care Committee wrote to the health innovation and safety minister, Preet Kaur Gill, saying it was "time to crack on with preparations to find an alternative in time for spring 2027".
A full hearing in Palantir's claim against Mopac is listed for January 2027.
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