Episode 3 - Drag and Drop (Palantir, Surveillance & Health Data)

The government says the rollout is a success. But FOI requests reveal a far more complicated reality.

A £1 pandemic contract becomes a £330m deal. How Palantir quietly secured a foothold inside the NHS.

A covert influencer campaign exposes how a powerful tech company tried to shape the debate around its £330m NHS data contract.

What happens when one of the world’s most controversial data companies moves into the NHS? The Shadow Contract is an investigative podcast uncovering the hidden story behind the UK government’s £330m deal with Palantir to build the NHS Federated Data Platform. From a covert influencer campaign to a £1 contract that quietly grew into one of the biggest NHS technology deals in history, the series follows the trail of documents, decisions and power behind the platform. Through leaked emails, expert interviews and Freedom of Information requests, we reveal how an emergency contract signed during the pandemic turned into one of the most significant technology deals in NHS history - and why doctors, analysts and campaigners are raising the alarm. Because this isn’t just about software. It’s about power, trust and who controls the infrastructure behind Britain’s most sensitive health data.