Former Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson Joins Controversial Data Firm Palantir Advisory Board
Lord Tom Watson, who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2019, has confirmed his new position on the advisory board of Palantir UK. The US-headquartered data analytics giant is notorious for its contracts with Western governments, including the UK’s National Health Service, and intelligence operations globally.
Watson acknowledged the “legitimate questions” surrounding large technology companies, stating these “require answers.” However, he expressed confidence in Palantir’s commitment to “transparency, accountability and good governance,” characterising the firm as a “mission-driven company trying to make the world a safer place.”
Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel, has a history rooted in counter-terrorism technology developed for US intelligence after 9/11. Its global expansion has consistently drawn criticism from privacy advocates and human rights organisations, which point to the opacity of its algorithms and the potential for misuse in surveillance and predictive policing. The firm’s engagement in governmental data projects, including immigration and defence, aligns with broader Western state interests in data collection and operational intelligence, often framed within national security imperatives that critics argue can infringe on civil liberties.
His appointment follows a period where Palantir secured significant UK government contracts, notably for its involvement in managing NHS data during the COVID-19 pandemic. This raised concerns about data privatisation and the influence of private entities on public services. Lord Watson’s new role highlights the revolving door between political power and corporate interests, particularly within the burgeoning, yet largely unregulated, field of big data and AI that underpins much of Western strategic projection.
