Contributions
1,811 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsPeter Mandelson has let us all down in this House. The question about the minutes is being looked at by Downing Street, and it will be for Downing Street officials to publish more…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s focus on that particular contract. As a Defence Minister, I do not know about Home Office policing contracts that were secured by individual…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI am a big fan of the hon. Member, too. I have been clear in my answers today that the decision to extend the 2022 contract signed under the previous Government was made by the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI am absolutely happy that we have signed a contract and conducted that process in the appropriate way. Scrutiny of that process is not something I am afraid of. I actually think…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI am afraid that the role of defence is to disrupt our adversaries and to secure our national security. To do that, we possess capabilities that can disrupt, deter and, if…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI thank my right hon. Friend for his question, and for the inadvertent promotion he has given me. He is right to talk about the necessity of ensuring that political donations are…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsThe hon. Lady’s position would be stronger if the Greens were not so soft on defence. We will continue to invest in our national security, and we will invest in the contracts that…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsThe right hon. Gentleman will have seen the photographs that appeared on No. 10’s Twitter feed, to which I referred in response to the earlier question about the publication of…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI appreciate the right hon. Gentleman’s long-standing position on a number of the items he asks about. I have been clear to the House today that we will continue to work with our…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsThe right hon. Gentleman is right; it is important that people can have confidence in the system, including the procurement system. As I have set out to the House, the decision to…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsWe signed a contract with a supplier to provide a service for which there is clear military need and clear utility, in order to strengthen our armed forces. We keep all contracts,…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsWe take vendor lock-in very seriously. We will build a more comprehensive AI framework in the Ministry of Defence; we will be using AI more frequently in more aspects of defence,…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI appreciate my hon. Friend’s passion on this matter but, as I have set out to the House, we will continue to maintain a close defence and security relationship with the United…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsAs I said in reply to the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis), that is a matter for Downing Street to publish in due course. I am afraid that I have spent the…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsMy hon. Friend is right that investigations are under way. As the Government made clear to the House last week, we will co-operate fully with those investigations, and we will…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsThe hon. Gentleman will have heard the answer I just gave to the Chair of the Defence Committee about the procurement process. As I set out, the decision was made by the Secretary…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsAs I have been clear to the House in a number of answers, we will continue to have a security and defence relationship with the United States, and it is in our national interests…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsPalantir is a strategic supplier to the Ministry of Defence, providing secure data integration, analytics and AI platforms that help to support operational planning and decision…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsI appreciate my hon. Friend’s direction of travel and passion. We followed due process, in accordance with the Procurement Act, in awarding those contracts. As I have clearly set…10 Feb 2026HANSARDMinistry of Defence: Palantir ContractsThe Palantir enterprise agreement was a direct award, justified under the Procurement Act 2023. The agreement covers existing services and areas in which there is a robust…10 Feb 2026