Story perspectives

Palantir Hires Tom Watson as UK Senior VP

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 10:18 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Tom Watson, former Labour deputy leader, became Palantir’s UK senior vice president on Friday.
Watson will lead Palantir’s efforts to ensure public contracts support British jobs and counter false information.
Green MP Sian Berry called Watson’s hire a “disgrace” and accused him of lobbying Labour friends.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million Metropolitan Police contract prompting Palantir to sue his office.

History

Historical Context

After the 2018 Cambridge Analytica breach revealed that data from up to 87 million Facebook profiles had been harvested, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office fined Facebook £500,000 in 2019—the first major data-politics penalty in Britain. That precedent now drives scrutiny of large tech contracts with public agencies, prompting officials to demand tighter oversight.

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Story summary

Tom Watson, former Labour deputy leader, became Palantir’s UK senior vice president on Friday.
Watson will lead Palantir’s efforts to ensure public contracts support British jobs and counter false information.
Green MP Sian Berry called Watson’s hire a “disgrace” and accused him of lobbying Labour friends.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million Metropolitan Police contract prompting Palantir to sue his office.

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