Blood tech: The UK ambassador, the sex offender, Palantir and Gaza
British PM Keir Starmer (R tours Palantir Technologies headquarters with company employees, Peter Mandelson (L) and British military personnel in Washington on 27 February 2025
Simon Speakman Cordall reports in Al Jazeera on 17 March 2026:
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Ties between the US tech giant Palantir and the United Kingdom government are coming under increased scrutiny following the arrest of former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson over his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Palantir, which was a client of Mandelson’s recently-shuttered consultancy company Global Counsel, has been instrumental in supporting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and continued occupation of the West Bank.
Despite its public criticism of both Palantir and Mandelson, the UK government has entered into extensive contracts with the US tech giant, signing a defence contract worth 240 million pounds ($323m) in January. The contract was awarded to Palantir directly, while another, worth 330 million pounds ($444m) and involving the UK’s Ministry of Health, was awarded in November 2023 following a bidding process. The latter contract’s contents, campaigners say, remain heavily redacted.
Support for Israel
In addition to its role supporting US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has resulted in killings and unlawful deportations, Palantir has partnered extensively with the Israeli military and its operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.