Britain's defence ministry paid Palantir £282 million in ten years, the FT found. Its published contracts showed £95.9 million.
The UK Ministry of Defence paid Palantir £186 million more over the decade to March 2026 than the value of its publicly listed contracts, a Financial Times analysis of official documents found, Tech Digest reported.
At least one contract was withheld for national security reasons. It is unclear whether classified agreements explain the whole gap.
The FT found that more than 80% of the £282 million went through non-competitive procurement. The ministry also skipped a tender for a three-year, £240.6 million software contract that started in April 2026, saying Palantir has unique technical expertise.
Dame Chi Onwurah, who chairs the Commons science and technology committee, said the difficulty of knowing what the ministry spends on Palantir "fails the transparency, accountability and therefore the public trust test."
The MoD said it remains committed to transparency and that all outlays are properly disclosed within the bounds of national security law. Palantir declined to comment, citing security constraints.
The FT's figures leave one question open: how much of the £186 million sits in classified contracts.
Sources
Our file on Palantir
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- 15 Sept
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For your next steering committee
- 1Ask which exit clauses your largest software and services contracts carry, and when each can be used.
- 2Ask what leaving would cost, in money and in months.
- 3Ask who reads the contract when a dispute starts, and whether they have read it before.
Issue 01 of the ERP LEADERS brief puts a timeline, the three-number review and six questions on one page. Read issue 01
Welcome back. · Issue 01
