Alison Bennett's Monday Mail: Palantir
Palantir
In politics there are some things that we all experience day to day that aren’t as good as they should be. Potholes would be a key example. Then there are the issues that largely fly below the radar, but are seriously concerning. US tech company Palantir is a case in point. I try to balance how I split my time between the two types of issues: they do both matter. So do indulge me whilst I explain why I asked defence minister Luke Pollard about Palantir, Peter Mandelson, and the Prime Minister last week.
Palantir was founded by Peter Thiel whose Wiki page will give you an idea of his values and the company he keeps (Trump, Epstein, Vance). Palantir’s tech has been used by ICE in their activities across US cities, and Palantir now has contracts in the UK worth £500m with the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.
My colleague Martin Wrigley MP has been on the case for some time. As a member of the Science Innovation and Technology Select Committee, he has asked for these UK contracts to be properly scrutinised, and so far the government has avoided such an examination.
A year ago in February 2025, the Prime Minister visited Palantir in Washington DC. This meeting was set up by Peter Mandelson who had just become our ambassador to the USA. However, Mandelson’s own lobbying firm Global Counsel listed Palantir as a client, and at the time of the PM’s visit, Mandelson still had shares in his firm. To date the government has not been able to explain what was discussed at the meeting, has not confirmed whether the Prime Minister was aware of Mandelson’s financial interest in Global Counsel, and cannot say whether minutes of the meeting were taken.
This matters for a number of reasons, not least that in December 2025 the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Palantir worth £241m, and the contract was approved by the Secretary of State alone without an open tender. The government has committed to publish as much of the correspondence relating to the Palantir meeting as soon as possible, but concerns remain. This is not just about the value for money of the contract, or about the transparency as to why Palantir was chosen, but about the security of British data and how it might be used in the future by Palantir.
Sussex maternity services in the spotlight
In case you did not see it, last week a joint investigation by the BBC and the New Statesman into maternity failings at University Hospitals Sussex was published. The Trust runs the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath as well as the Royal Sussex, Worthing Hospital and St Richards in Chichester. The investigation revealed that according to the Trust’s own data, over five years, 55 babies’ lives could potentially have been saved with better maternity care. This is quite simply horrifying. Having visited the maternity unit at Princess Royal Hospital and spoken directly with leaders late last year, I know efforts are being made to address the systemic failings laid bare by this report, but improvement must be sustained and trust rebuilt. I have raised families’ calls for Donna Ockenden to lead an independent review into what has happened in the Trust, including directly with the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has so far declined to act. Last week, I reiterated my deepest sympathies and my firm belief that without a full, independent investigation that commands the confidence of bereaved families, they will never feel truly heard nor see past wrongs fully put right. You can read my statement here.
Still fighting for our local elections this May
I went on GB News last week to explain why the Lib Dems are still pushing for our local elections to go ahead in May. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has written to the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch asking her to get her members in the House of Lords to support a ‘fatal motion’ that would kill the secondary legislation that is needed to cancel elections to Conservative controlled West Sussex County Council. Badenoch says she wants elections to go ahead, but our local Conservatives do not much fancy an encounter with the electorate. The ball is very much in Kemi Badenoch’s court.
Getting in touch
My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Alison
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