Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials

# Palantir has hired more than 30 senior UK Government officials Source: [https://www.thenational.scot/news/26055524.palantir-hired-30-senior-uk-government-officials/](https://www.thenational.scot/news/26055524.palantir-hired-30-senior-uk-government-officials/) US tech surveillance firm Palantir has hired 32 senior UK government and public sector officials since 2012, it has been reported\. An[investigation by The Nerve has found](https://www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-revolving-doors-peter-thiel-transparency-corruption-risk?ref=ed_direct)that this includes personnel from the NHS, Ministry of Defence \(MoD\), Department of[Health](https://www.thenational.scot/news/health/?ref=au)and Social Care, Home Office, Foreign Office, UK[Health](https://www.thenational.scot/news/health/?ref=au)Security Agency, Crown Commercial Service, secret service and Downing Street\. It comes as the controversial tech company has been under scrutiny over its growing list of[UK Government](https://www.thenational.scot/topics/uk-government/?ref=au)contracts, including the NHS, the Ministry of Defence \(MoD\), the Financial Conduct Authority and 11 police forces\. Its services have been used by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency \(ICE\) to target, identify and locate immigrants\. **READ MORE:**[**'It's clearly wrong': King Charles blasted over US visit and Donald Trump meeting**](https://www.thenational.scot/news/26054353.its-clearly-wrong-king-charles-blasted-us-visit-donald-trump-meeting/?ref=ed_recent) The firm has also been accused of selling its services to Israel’s IDF and has been identified as “profiting from genocide” in[Gaza](https://www.thenational.scot/topics/Gaza/?ref=au)according to Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories\. While there is no suggestion of wrongdoing, transparency experts have warned that this hiring spree exposes the UK to an “acute risk” of corruption\. The hires have included the MoD’s senior official on AI, who co\-wrote the UK’s military strategy on AI, as well as NHS England’s former director of AI\. Four members of the[House of Lords](https://www.thenational.scot/topics/house-of-lords/?ref=au)have advised Palantir, according to The Nerve, while Palantir’s list of paid consultants also includes two generals and a former chief adviser to the PM\. King Charles III reads the King's Speech in the House of Lords Chamber*\(Image: PA\)* Steve Goodrich, director of research at Transparency International UK, told the outlet: “Poor controls on the revolving door between government and the private sector mean there's an acute risk of former officials abusing privileged information and contacts entrusted to them for the benefit of their new employers\.” Susan Hawley, executive director at Spotlight on Corruption, added: “There is no doubt that companies do this \[hire public officials\] to get privileged insights into how government runs and gain commercial advantage from doing so\.” A spokesman for Palantir, meanwhile, said: “We were supplied 32 names spanning around 15 years – a period in which thousands of people have worked for Palantir in the UK\. “Of those, 14 no longer work for, or with, us, some of whom stopped as long as five years ago\. Six are ex\-armed forces veterans whose public sector experience involved serving and protecting their country\. “Not only do we entirely reject claims of an alleged ‘revolving door’ strategy, but we also believe it is inappropriate to include veterans in a report alleging such a strategy\. Aside from the immense value of their experience, there is rightly an undertaking by government and society to ensure they are afforded the opportunity to build a career outside the armed forces when the time is right for them\. Characterising this as part of a ‘revolving door strategy’ does them, and all veterans, a disservice\.”