INTERVIEW - Former UK military chief defends Palantir as concerns mount over Britain's reliance on US tech
- Former UK special forces commander Graeme Lamb defends Palantir's expanding role in British public services amid concerns over privacy, national sovereignty - 'The reason I brought Palantir in here ... was that it was an extraordinarily effective tool,' Lamb tells Anadolu - 'People will turn around and say, 'Oh, you're giving away the crown jewels. You're handing over data … Well, the answer is: in that case, just opt out of technology,' Lamb says
By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - The relationship between the UK government and Palantir Technologies, the US data analytics firm co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, has evolved from temporary pandemic-era contracts into a significant role across British public services.
Critics see the expansion as corporate encroachment on public infrastructure, while military figures who championed the company argue its technology is essential.
General Sir Graeme Lamb, a former director of special forces and commander of the field army who now advises Palantir, defended the partnership.
"The reason I brought Palantir in here, as had been the case in Afghanistan and other places, was that it was an extraordinarily effective tool," General Lamb told Anadolu.
After retiring from military command in 2009, Lamb joined Palantir as a senior advisor and advocated for its technology within Whitehall and the Defense Ministry.
He utilized his extensive networks and reputation to advocate for the platform, testifying before the Parliamentary Defense Select Committee in 2014 that Palantir’s data-mining software had directly saved British soldiers' lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Palantir deployed individual experts – technical experts – into the theater of operations, where they worked alongside armies, soldiers, marines and everyone else involved, providing a service that saved lives. That's why I gave Palantir my absolute authority," he said.
Yet outside the corridors of power, that "absolute authority" has triggered intense public scrutiny, legal challenges, and a growing political backlash from watchdogs and lawmakers alike.
- NHS data controversy
The National Health Service (NHS) awarded Palantir a £330 million ($441 million), seven-year contract to operate its Federated Data Platform (FDP), intended to improve operational efficiency.
The deal, however, has faced opposition from privacy campaigners concerned about access to sensitive patient information.
Lamb dismissed those concerns.
"I'm sure people will turn around and say, 'Oh, you're giving away the crown jewels. You're handing over data. You shouldn't be doing this.' Well, the answer is: in that case, just opt out of technology."
However, campaigners argue that avoiding technology is not a realistic option for patients using a national health service.
The Good Law Project mobilized more than 50,000 people to contact local NHS boards urging them to withhold data from the platform.
Its legal action also led to the publication of unredacted contracts showing that NHS England signed the agreement before legally binding data protection clauses were finalized.
NHS England later apologized after acknowledging that Palantir engineers had accessed identifiable patient records, prompting more than 44,000 people to file formal objections under data protection law.