Who Is Gaining Control Of Britain's Digital State?

Britain is moving more public services and government infrastructure online, while becoming increasingly dependent on a small number of private technology companies. Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has warned about reliance on Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Palantir, describing Palantir’s growing presence in the public sector as an “unacceptable point of weakness.”

The article looks at Palantir’s contracts across government, including NHS England’s Federated Data Platform, a Ministry of Defence agreement, work with the FCA and a disputed Metropolitan Police procurement. It also examines the movement of senior officials between government and the company, and whether public bodies can retain meaningful control of their data if switching suppliers becomes difficult.