Software group Palantir paid £2m in UK corporation tax in 2024 despite holding hundreds of millions in public sector contracts, according to a report by Cictar, due to tax breaks and revenue shifting.
The finance ministry has said the West Asia conflict should be treated as a 'war' to invoke the force majeure clause in public contracts, allowing 2-4 month extensions without penalties. The department of expenditure issued an office memorandum enabling relief for companies whose contractual obligations were affected by supply chain disruptions from Feb 27 onwards. Sectors including defence, drone manufacturing, fertiliser and chemicals will benefit.
More than 229,000 people have signed petitions calling for the UK government to end contracts with US tech company Palantir, amid concerns about its work with Trump's ICE immigration enforcement and the Israeli military. The campaigns, promoted by 38 Degrees, target Palantir's £330m NHS patient data contract and its broader £600m portfolio including the Ministry of Defence and police forces. The controversy intensifies as the Metropolitan Police considers using Palantir's AI for criminal intelligence analysis.
