Good Law Project

The Shadow Contract - A Good Law Project Podcast

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The Shadow Contract is an investigative podcast about power, technology and the future of the NHS. When the UK government awarded a £330m contract to the controversial data company Palantir to build the NHS’s new Federated Data Platform, ministers promised a revolution in efficiency and patient care. But behind the headlines lies a far more complex story. Hosted by Eliza Pitkin of Good Law Project, The Shadow Contract investigates how a surveillance technology firm with deep roots in military intelligence, immigration enforcement and policing came to sit at the heart of Britain’s public health...

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Good Law Project

Episodes

Episode 1 - The Influencer Campaign (Palantir and NHS Data) 21.04.2026 34:32

A covert influencer campaign reveals how a powerful tech company tried to shape the public debate around its £330m NHS data deal. In the opening episode of The Shadow Contract, an email lands in the inbox of a healthcare campaigner. At first it seems routine – a marketing agency asking influencers to post about NHS data. But when the full proposal arrives, something far more troubling becomes clea...

Episode 2 - Your Data at Pound-Shop Prices (The £1 Palantir Contract) 21.04.2026 44:20

A £1 pandemic contract becomes a £330m NHS data deal and gives Palantir a foothold inside Britain’s health system. In episode two of The Shadow Contract, we rewind to the moment Palantir first entered the NHS during the Covid pandemic – through a seemingly generous £1 contract to help manage emergency health data. What looked like a short-term solution quickly grew into something far bigger: a £33...

Episode 3 - Drag and Drop (Palantir, Surveillance & Health Data) 21.04.2026 37:12

Palantir’s systems connect government data across the world. What happens when that infrastructure reaches the NHS? In episode three of The Shadow Contract, we look beyond the NHS to examine Palantir’s wider record around the world – from immigration enforcement in the United States to data-sharing systems used by police and intelligence agencies. Palantir’s platforms are designed to connect vast...

Episode 4 - Signed, Sealed… But Far From Delivered (The Palantir NHS Rollout) 21.04.2026 46:34

The government says the NHS data platform is a success. Freedom of Information requests tell a different story. In the final episode of The Shadow Contract, we examine the rollout of the Federated Data Platform and the growing gap between the official narrative and what is happening inside the NHS. Freedom of Information requests reveal that far fewer hospital trusts are actively using the system...

Introducing The Shadow Contract - A Good Law Project Podcast 14.04.2026 1:30

What happens when one of the world’s most controversial data companies moves into the NHS? The Shadow Contract is an investigative podcast uncovering the hidden story behind the UK government’s £330m deal with Palantir to build the NHS Federated Data Platform. From a covert influencer campaign to a £1 contract that quietly grew into one of the biggest NHS technology deals in history, the series fo...