Ex-Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson Joins US Tech Firm Palantir

Lord Tom Watson, the former cabinet minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party, has become a senior vice president at the US technology firm Palantir.

Announcing his appointment on X, Lord Watson described Palantir as the most interesting company on the planet, doing work of real consequence. He acknowledged that the company faced challenges, and said that while some criticism amounted to propaganda, there were legitimate questions about large technology companies and sovereign control.

Sian Berry, the Green MP, was sharply critical. She called the appointment yet another example of the corrosive revolving door between politics and big business lobbying that has no place in public life. Palantir, she said, with its work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States and the Israel Defense Forces, had no business at all in the NHS and public services. She added that Tom Watson had been employed to lobby his friends in the Labour government.

Palantir builds software designed to help organisations make better use of their data, and holds a large number of UK government contracts, including with the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and 11 police forces. The company has attracted controversy, with some MPs calling for greater scrutiny of its use of data within NHS contracts. It is also engaged in a legal battle with the Mayor of London's office over the decision to block the Metropolitan Police from agreeing a contract with the firm. The Mayor's Office said it was not satisfied the deal adequately ensured value for money, and raised concerns about the company's values.

Palantir has argued that its software has improved NHS databases in areas such as waiting lists and hospital supplies, while its work with police forces has helped tackle corruption and identify women at risk of domestic violence. Louis Mosley, head of UK and Europe at Palantir Technologies, welcomed the appointment, saying Lord Watson brought a deep understanding of how artificial intelligence is changing the ways the state can help people in Britain, where more than one in six of the company's employees are based.

Lord Watson served as a Labour MP for more than 20 years and became a senior figure in the party, holding ministerial office and operating as a key figure behind the scenes, reportedly orchestrating efforts to remove Tony Blair as prime minister. In 2015 he was strongly criticised for publicising unsubstantiated claims of sex abuse by the Conservative politician Leon Brittan, who died before learning that police had dropped their investigation and that he had no case to answer. At the time, Lord Watson said he was sorry for the distress Leon Brittan's family experienced, but that he felt he had a duty to report the claims. After leaving the House of Commons he was given a peerage and took up a position as chair of UK Music.

In his statement, Lord Watson said Palantir was helping Britain and its allies defend themselves, helping police protect citizens and helping NHS staff get patients treated and home sooner. He repeated that the company had challenges, that some criticism was propaganda and some raised legitimate questions about large technology companies and sovereign control, and that both required answers. Part of his role, he said, would be to correct false information while working with engineers to ensure privacy, security and respect for sovereignty lay at the heart of everything the company does.