Ex-Labour deputy leader Tom Watson joins Palantir

Former cabinet minister and Labour Party deputy leader Lord Tom Watson has become a senior vice president at US tech firm Palantir.

Announcing his appointment on X, Lord Watson said Palantir was "the most interesting company on the planet, doing work of real consequence".

He said the company had "challenges" and that while some criticism was "propaganda" there were "legitimate questions about large technology companies and sovereign control".

Green MP Sian Berry said: "This is yet another example of the corrosive revolving door between politics and big business lobbying that has no place in public life."

She added: "Palantir, with its work for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in the US and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), has no business at all in our NHS and public services.

"Tom Watson has been employed to lobby his friends in the Labour government."

Palantir builds software aimed at allowing organisations to make better use of their data and holds a large number of UK government contracts including with the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and 11 police forces.

The company has attracted controversy, with some MPs calling for more scrutiny of its use of data within NHS contracts.