Scotland: Party leaders must pledge to keep Palantir out of Scotland’s NHS

Amnesty International have urged Scottish party leaders to commit to opposing any future NHS Scotland contract with Palantir – the U.S software company profiting from human rights violations, including genocide in Gaza.

Palantir’s tools are currently used by the Israeli military as they commit genocide against Palestinians in occupied Gaza. The company also supplies ICE with tools that are used to track and surveil migrants in the US.

In recent years, Palantir has been expanding into the UK. In 2023 NHS England awarded a £330 million contract to provide a new data platform.

In a letter to all Scottish party leaders, Amnesty’s Scotland Programme Director Neil Cowan said voters deserve to know whether politicians will act to keep Palantir out of Scotland’s NHS before voting in the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May.

He said:

“Palantir is a company that is linked to a range of human rights abuses, including genocide, and has a track record of disregarding international law and standards – it has no place in Scotland’s NHS or wider public sector.

“We know that Palantir lobbied UK Government ministers to obtain a £330 million contract with NHS England in 2023, and we need an assurance from all parties running to form the next Scottish Government that we will not see any similar contracts here in Scotland.

"Voters deserve to know before they head to the polls whether parties will uphold the values the NHS was built on – compassionate care, dignity and humanity – and ensure that no company that profits from widespread human rights violations has a place in our NHS.”