Greens and other left-wing activists are targeting Palantir software used by the NHS, despite evidence that it has reduced waiting lists and accelerated cancer diagnoses. The US tech giant has a £600 million contract with the NHS, which includes a break clause that must be exercised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham by the end of this year. Local councils such as Sheffield, Rotherham, and East Hertfordshire have passed motions to pressure NHS trusts into pausing Palantir's expansion, citing concerns over the company's work with Trump's immigration authorities and the Israeli military. According to Palantir, NHS trusts using its software have recorded 110,000 additional operations and a 15% reduction in discharge delays for long-stay patients.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Green activists, led by Zack Polanski, are putting pressure on the National Health Service (NHS) to stop using software from US tech giant Palantir. Despite evidence that Palantir's software has helped reduce waiting lists and speed up cancer diagnoses, the Greens are targeting it due to its work with Donald Trump's immigration authorities and the Israeli military. The company has won a total of £600 million in public-sector contracts, including a £330 million seven-year contract with the NHS that could be terminated by the end of this year if a break clause is exercised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Local councils such as Sheffield, Rotherham, and East Hertfordshire have passed motions opposing Palantir's software, citing concerns over its past work with contentious organizations. The pressure on the NHS to stop using Palantir's software has been joined by Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Left-wing groups such as Amnesty International.
Written for “NHS Tech Backlash Grows” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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Left-wing activists
left identifies a group opposing Palantir with a left-wing label
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despite evidence it has cut waiting lists and fast-tracked cancer diagnoses
right acknowledges benefits of Palantir, implying criticism is not based on facts
Leaning score -0.35 for article 5530 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-06
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Zack Polanski's Green activists are using their growing influence in local authorities to put pressure on the NHS to stop the use of Palantir software – despite evidence it has cut waiting lists and fast-tracked cancer diagnoses.
The US tech giant, which has won a total of £600 million in public-sector contracts, has been targeted by Left-wing activists for its work with Donald Trump's immigration authorities and the Israeli military.
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which → see → authorities
A break clause in the company's £330 million seven-year NHS contract would need to be exercised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham by the end of this year.
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clause → need → year
The Greens have joined forces with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Left-wing groups such as Amnesty International to put pressure on local NHS Trusts, with Sheffield, Rotherham and East Hertfordshire councils all bringing near-identical motions against Palantir in recent months.
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councils → join → months
Sheffield is run by a formal Labour-Green joint administration while East Hertfordshire District Council is run by a Green and Liberal Democrat coalition.
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Council → run → coalition
The Rotherham motion, introduced in July, urged the council to call on the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust to pause expansion of Palantir technology.
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motion → introduce → technology
It was brought by Independent councillor Taiba Yasseen and seconded by Green councillor Mick Bower, with Labour support.
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It → bring → support
Greens on Coventry City Council also forced through a motion on the council's own contract with Palantir, which is used to help social workers in the area.
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which → force → area
Zak Polanski pictured leaving the launch of the local election campaign at One Friendly Place on April 9
Mr Polanski wrote to Palantir's chief executive in January demanding the firm 'pack its bags and get the hell out of the NHS'.
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firm → picture → NHS
A Palantir spokesman said: 'This activity risks denying patients access to technology that can improve the care they receive.
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they → say → care
Since our software has been rolled out, NHS trusts using it have recorded 110,000 additional operations, a 15 per cent reduction in discharge delays for long-stay patients, and a 6.8 per cent average improvement against the NHS's 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard.
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trusts → roll → Standard
Palantir's UK chief executive, Louis Mosley, has previously said that the company 'should be judged on whether we are delivering for patients in this country'.
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we → say → country
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news → get → newsletter
