Burnham Allies Roll Back on Claim He Might Axe Palantir’s NHS Contract

Unnamed allies of Andy Burnham have briefed journalists that he is thinking of cancelling spytech firm Palantir’s £330m contract with the NHS – only for other anonymous sources to roll back on the claim. 

The claim, published by the Telegraph on Thursday, suggests Burnham may be trying to win back support from Labour voters fleeing to the Greens, whose leader Zack Polanski has staunchly opposed the US firm’s involvement in Britain’s public services. 

Burnham, who is set to enter Number 10 later this month unless someone else runs for the Labour leadership, has not discussed the Palantir contract publicly. The Telegraph report said he has “not made any final decisions about new or existing contracts”. 

On Friday, the Jewish Chronicle published a story referencing more anonymous sources “close to the MP for Makerfield”. They sought to distance Burnham from the claim, telling the outlet that neither Burnham or his campaign team had briefed the Telegraph for the story.

Palantir’s technology is used by the Israel Defense Forces and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The company is accused of facilitating severe human rights abuses amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza and Donald Trump’s vicious crackdown on migrant communities and their advocates. 

Burnham has chosen for his chief of staff a pro-Israel corporate lobbyist who until recently led Flint Global, a firm representing arms companies and tech giants. Flint Global does not publish a list of its clients. There is no evidence that Palantir is or has ever been a client of the firm. 

Sadiq Khan – another prominent Labour figure considered sympathetic to the left – said in May that he would block a contract between the Metropolitan police and Palantir, but then U-turned just weeks later.