UK defence paid Palantir £186M more than it disclosed
What's the deal? The UK Ministry of Defence paid Palantir Technologies UK £282mn over a decade — £186mn more than the £95.9mn in publicly disclosed contract values, according to departmental records. At least part of the gap is attributed to a classified contract, but the full explanation remains unclear.
Why now? The disclosure gap surfaces amid wider scrutiny of the relationship. In December 2025, the Ministry of Defence directly awarded Palantir a three-year enterprise agreement worth £240.6mn, covering licensing and support for data analytics across defence operations and interoperable with NATO and allied systems.
What's the catch? MPs have questioned the lack of competition behind that award and the department's growing reliance on a single supplier. A redacted copy of the latest contract will be made available only 90 days after the award date, under the Procurement Act 2023.
The bigger picture: The concern reaches beyond defence. A recent parliamentary committee report warned about Palantir's expanding role across public services and urged action to reduce vendor lock-in, while its NHS contract faces a 2027 break clause and calls for UK alternatives.
The signal: The story's significance is not the size of the historic spend but what the gap reveals: how visible and auditable sensitive public procurement remains as the UK's reliance on a major foreign supplier deepens.
Read more: ft.com
