Palantir secures £240.6 million UK defence contract amid revolving door concerns
By
The Citizens
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Summary
The article investigates how Palantir, a US surveillance technology company, secured a £240.6 million uncompetitive military contract with the UK Ministry of Defence. It highlights that Barnaby Kistruck, who helped write the UK's military AI strategy as MoD Director of Industrial Strategy, joined Palantir just nine days after leaving his government role. The piece raises concerns about conflicts of interest, lack of competition in defence procurement, and the revolving door between government and private tech companies.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledExactly nine days later after his departure, he was on the payroll of Palantir - the very US surveillance giant that would land a staggering £240.6 million uncompetitive military contract just three months later.
How does a foreign tech giant capture UK defence without the public noticing? You bypass competition entirely, and hire the very people writing the rules.
He had spent his final months helping to write the UK's blueprint for military AI, a strategy that advocated for a massively expanded role for AI in British defence.
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