STORY
Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has been appointed UK senior vice president of Palantir, the American data analytics and artificial intelligence company. Lord Watson of Wyre Forest, who had worked as a paid adviser to the business since 2024, has taken leave from the House of Lords while assuming the executive role.
Palantir has become a significant supplier to the British public sector. Its contracts include the NHS Federated Data Platform, worth up to £330 million, and work for the Ministry of Defence reportedly worth about £240 million. The company’s expanding involvement in public services has prompted political debate about data protection, procurement and dependence on overseas technology suppliers.
Watson said his new position would continue his work helping Governments use technology to modernise public services, adding that he wanted public contracts to support British employment. Transparency campaigners have raised concerns about the movement of former politicians into companies holding major Government contracts, although there is no suggestion that Watson has breached parliamentary rules.