Palantir Protests Erupt at Labour Fundraiser as Streeting Faces NHS Privatisation Fury
Protesters gathered outside a Labour Party fundraiser in Islington on Sunday, directing their anger at Health Secretary Wes Streeting over the government's controversial NHS patient record deal with AI tech giant Palantir. The demonstration occurred as party members paid £130 each for a dinner at Frederick's restaurant in Angel, where Streeting was a special guest speaker.
Heckles and Hostility at Health Secretary's Appearance
The protesters, who assembled at the front door of the upscale restaurant, voiced strong opposition to government contracts with Palantir worth over £500 million, including £330 million specifically for NHS data services. Human rights groups and campaigners have raised alarms about Palantir's technology being used for surveillance by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in deportation raids and in military applications in Israel.
Shirley Franklin, co-chair of the Defend Whittington Hospital Coalition which organized the protest, expressed outrage at the event. "It's pathetic how these people have paid £130 just to waltz through the picket line whilst knowing what this government is doing to the NHS," she declared. "Wes and this government are complete sell-outs: they've been tricking people by claiming that NHS waiting lists are down whilst they sell it off to the highest bidder."
Three-Pronged Campaign Against Streeting
Franklin outlined three specific issues driving the protest campaign:
- Cuts to NHS services and staff
- Contracts with Palantir giving the company access to personal health data
- The reintroduction of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding schemes
The Tribune reported last month that both Whittington and Royal Free hospitals have agreed to implement Palantir software, though implementation won't begin until 2028 at the earliest.
Medical Professionals Voice Grave Concerns
Dr. Jonathan Fluxman, a retired GP with 25 years of NHS experience, delivered a scathing assessment of Streeting's approach. He described the health secretary as a "pretend friend" of the NHS who is actively engaged in privatising the service.
"Mr. Streeting is unfit for office and should resign," Fluxman told the Tribune. "He is taking large sums of money from private companies like Palantir who want lucrative contracts to provide healthcare to the public. The effect is that our personal health data ends up in the hands of a private company embedded in the military-surveillance system in the US and Israel."
The doctor, who grew up in Apartheid South Africa before relocating to the UK to study medicine, warned that NHS privatisation and PFI schemes risk creating a US-style healthcare system where ordinary people face financial hardship for essential medical care.
Palantir's Defense and Founder's Controversial Comments
A Palantir spokesperson defended the company's involvement with the NHS, stating: "We are humbled to serve the NHS and proud that our software is helping to improve patient care and reduce waiting lists – having delivered 100,000 additional operations and counting. But that is what we do – provide software. We have no interest in selling or commercialising data in any way."
The spokesperson addressed controversial comments made by Palantir founder Peter Thiel, a Trump-supporting billionaire who previously described British affection for the NHS as 'Stockholm Syndrome.' They clarified that Thiel made those remarks "as a private individual" and that current CEO Alex Karp "firmly disagrees" with them, wishing "we had a health care system in the US that served the poor and underserved as well as I perceive the British system does."
Political Context and Party Response
The protest occurred against a backdrop of political controversy surrounding Streeting. Downing Street sources previously claimed the health secretary was planning a leadership coup earlier this year, though they later retracted the allegation. More recently, Streeting has had to distance himself from former close friend Lord Peter Mandelson following revelations in the Epstein files.
Islington Labour Party confirmed that Streeting attended "part" of the fundraising event and stated that protesters were entitled to express their views, noting that the demonstration did not disrupt the proceedings.
