Ex-minister predicts ‘battle royale’ over US firm’s bid for NHS data contract

David Davis among cross-party MPs with privacy concerns over prospective Palantir deal

A former cabinet minister has warned that there could be a battle royale" over a 480m NHS data software contract sought by the controversial US tech firm Palantir, whose chair has accused the UK health service of making people sick".

David Davis, the Conservative former Brexit secretary who previously led the campaign against ID cards, said he was one of those with serious privacy concerns about Palantir's bid. He is among at least a dozen MPs and peers across the political spectrum who are pressing the government for more reassurances about how patient data will be treated as the new data operating system is built.