Andy Burnham is set to ditch Palantir from the NHS, The Telegraph can reveal, as the prime minister-in-waiting prepares to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as soon as July 20. Mr Burnham, who did not grant the US tech company any contracts during his nine years as Greater Manchester mayor, is reviewing the Government’s overall artificial intelligence strategy. An aide said he believed “unfettered tech boosterism” was turning off voters.
The Federated Data Platform, run using Palantir’s technology, has led to faster cancer diagnoses, increases in operating theatre use and fewer delays in discharging patients. However, Labour MPs and unions have demanded the Government strip Palantir of its seven-year, £330m NHS deal because of concerns about its work with the Israeli military and US immigration authorities. Allies of Mr Burnham point out that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority did not issue a single contract to Palantir under his leadership between 2017 and last month. Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had also not held a contract with Palantir in the past five years.
“Andy Burnham is expected to end Palantir's £330m NHS deal after refusing contracts with the firm as Greater Manchester mayor.”
Mr Burnham has not made any final decisions about new or existing contracts, but his record during his mayoralty is said to inform his thinking. In his first keynote speech on Monday, he said he wanted social value to play a larger part in contracts awarded by the Government. The move has drawn sharp criticism from Conservative figures. Stuart Andrew, the shadow health secretary, told The Telegraph: “If Andy Burnham tears up a programme that is improving patient care, he will have to explain why he chose politics over patients.” Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: “Does Andy Burnham think the NHS is so optimal it cannot be improved, or does he accept that kicking out Palantir will have a trade-off which is measured in more Brits dying?”
Mr Burnham’s impending arrival in No 10 comes amid a volatile political landscape. In a landmark devolution speech, he declared Westminster is “broken”, using language once reserved for Right-wing populists. His manifesto-by-proxy, The Productive State, argues the public “ask now for only what is obvious: major, even fundamental changes in British society” to end “the meanness and frustration of long years of stagnation and decline”. The paper notes that “Labour have hitherto not delivered on that demand. If that feeling does not change, the electoral consequences will be severe.” As Mr Burnham weighs the fate of Palantir, the question is whether he will prioritise reform or risk the accusations of putting politics before patients.