Politics
Pollard flounders when quizzed on contracts with US spy firm
Pollard repeatedly failed to answer basic questions, one time blaming his recent trip to Saudi Arabia’s arms fair for his lack of answers.
I’m here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, supporting UK SMEs and wider industry partners attending the World Defence Show 2026. Defence is an engine for growth, and the UK is proud to stand with Saudi Arabia in difficult times and to build on our partnership and friendship. pic.twitter.com/Ql0iCG5uPH
— Luke Pollard MP (@LukePollard) February 9, 2026
Pollard seemingly absolved Peter Mandelson’s links to Palantir from playing any role in the government awarding a contract worth £240 million to Palantir, signed in December 2025. Pollard maintained, repeatedly, that the £240 million deal was merely an extension of the 2022 agreement signed by the previous Conservative Government.
He said:
This Government took over what the Tories started in 2022, but we made it work better for Britain and better for our forces. As the Defence Secretary has said, the contract was his decision, and his alone. Peter Mandelson had no influence on the decision to award this contract
And again:
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 Secretary of State alone. It was his decision to do so.
The February 2025 Washington meeting between the Prime Minister, Peter Mandelson, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp, was asked about twice, and twice the Pollard could not give a straight answer. The meeting, after all, preceded the December 2025 contract. The minutes of that meeting were not noted. At the time, Palantir was a client of Global Counsel, the lobbying firm Mandelson founded.
Jeremy Corbyn asked whether Britain should be entangled with a company complicit in the destruction of Gaza, a company that had, in his words, “wormed” its way into UK government contracts and the NHS.
