From Deputy Leader of the Labour Party to Palantir’s UK Senior Vice President

On 17 September 2026, Palantir announced the appointment of Tom Watson, Baron of Wyre Forest and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, as its UK Senior Vice President. Watson, described by The Independent as a ‘formidable machine politician and fixer’, served as MP for West Bromwich East from 2001 to 2019, as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2019, and was made a life peer in 2022 (put forward by Boris Johnson). He is now the public face of Palantir’s effort to expand its presence and influence in the UK.

His stated remit is to ensure Palantir’s public contracts “support British jobs”, mirroring Burnham’s industrial agenda, as well as working to “correct false information” about the company.

The information he hopes to correct:

Enabling Genocide: On 12 January 2024, one day after South Africa presented its genocide case against Israel at the ICJ, Palantir signed a “strategic partnership” with Israel, providing AI-powered targeting systems in Gaza and Lebanon. In 2025, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine described Palantir as being ‘complicit in the occupation and ongoing genocide in Palestine’ and enabling “unlawful use of force.” Amnesty International named it as one of multiple companies enabling or profiteering from genocide, occupation and apartheid, calling for states and public institutions to bar it from trade.

ICE: Since Trump took office in early 2025, Palantir has received over $900 million in federal contracts, one being a $30 million contract with ICE to build ImmigrationOS – an AI platform powering ICE’s mass workplace raids, detentions, and deportations

Racist Policing: Palantir’s predictive policing software, deployed across US cities including Los Angeles and New Orleans, has been found to perpetuate racial bias, disproportionately targeting Black and Latino communities. The concern is not theoretical in a UK context, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocking a proposed £50 million Metropolitan Police contract with Palantir, citing a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules. Will Watson’s increased influence be sufficient to see this deal go through?

Targeting campaigners & activists: Amnesty International found that Palantir’s AI tools were being used to target non-US citizens who had spoken out against the genocide in Gaza, resulting in 1,800 students having their visas revoked.

So what is Watson’s vision for Palantir in the UK? Will he realize the ambitions of Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, to ‘help the British government to deliver for the British public’?

Watson is no stranger to laundering reputations, being Senior Adviser to Lodestone Communications, a PR and lobbying firm which clients like arms manufacturers MBDA, who manufacture components for GBU-39 bombs used by Israel, and QinetiQ, which helped develop the Watchkeeper Drone with Elbit Systems. Maybe it’s his expertise in PR, scrubbing the blood off the sleeves of the engineers manufacturing genocide, which Karp finds most attractive.

The Guardian described his appointment as an effort by Palantir to “fend off pressure on Burnham’s government to axe its £330m NHS contract.”

Originating as a product of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital arm, Palantir functions essentially as an extension of US state intelligence. The company is now aggressively expanding its influence across UK public institutions by recruiting high-profile British politicians and members of the House of Lords into executive positions.

According to The Nerve, Palantir holds a £330 million NHS contract, a £240 million MoD enterprise agreement, and at least £670 million in known UK government contracts. The same investigation identified 32 senior UK officials and public-sector leaders hired by Palantir, 37 mid-ranking staff, and four members of the House of Lords advising the company, including Watson.

As Palantir is facing pressure from the government to cancel its £330 million NHS contract and locked in a legal dispute over the £50 million Met Police contract, Watson’s job is to use his long-standing political relationships to protect those contracts and embed Palantir deeper into UK public life.

From the halls of parliament to the back pockets of arms dealers is a well known conveyor belt. This is the pattern documented in CAAT’s report From Revolving Door to Open-Plan Office by Sam Perlo-Freeman, which examined how the arms industry have gained such a close relationship over the years that the lines between the two have been virtually erased.

Tom Watson is only the most recent addition to this long standing tradition, on the ever powerful conveyor belt running from the halls of Westminster to the offices of the arms trade. CAAT exists to disrupt this runway and expose the increasing political influence companies like Palantir are beginning to wield.

From the NHS to the MoD to the IDF, Palantir’s reach is expanding and increasingly without public scrutiny.

On Thursday 1 October, People vs Palantir: International Day of Action brings together a global movement of activists across Europe, North America, South America and Australia, coordinating on a single day to demand an end to all contracts and partnerships with Palantir.

Click here to find out whats taking place near you, and how to take part in this global action.

Let Palantir and all other genocidal actors know, they are not welcome here. They can continue digesting politicians and fixers, regurgitating them as consultants and board members, but as long as the British public remain ardently and vocally opposed, Palantir will never be able to worm its roots into our society. Support CAAT in this bid to rid our public and private institutions from those enabling genocide – get involved, do your e-actions, share the resources. Help put an end to the arms trade.

Warm Regards,
Hassan

Campaign Against Arms Trade

Unit 1.9, The Green House,
244 – 254 Cambridge Heath Road,
London
E2 9DA

Tel: 020 7281 0297

Web: www.caat.org.uk

Email: [email protected]