No credible sovereign exit option for the NHS Federated Data Platform before the February 2027 break clause

The Palantir-built Federated Data Platform, a £330m contract, reaches a break clause in February 2027, and the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee recommended using it to move to an in-house or UK-owned replacement. No funded alternative capability exists, so exit is not credible and lock-in is the default. Adoption is contested from within: 168 of 214 trusts signed up, and major trusts including Leeds, Manchester, East Kent, Hampshire and Wigan declined, saying the platform is no better than their existing systems. The national data opt-out does not apply to it. medConfidential, Foxglove, the No Palantir campaign and openDemocracy contest the deal and cannot build the alternative. OpenSAFELY proved a UK trusted-research architecture is feasible for research rather than operations.

The default outcome is indefinite dependence of NHS operational data infrastructure on a single US surveillance-technology vendor, decided by procurement momentum rather than deliberate choice. The decision window closes in 2026-27. After renewal, switching costs become prohibitive.

A funded programme to stand up in-house or UK-consortium data-platform capability on open standards before the contract decision, combining NHS England engineering with OpenSAFELY-style architecture. An independently published exit-feasibility assessment and statutory clarification of patient opt-out rights over national platforms complete it.

// Build together: Counterparty: NHS England or willing non-FDP trusts for an OpenSAFELY-style operational pilot and exit-feasibility assessment before February 2027.

The February 2027 break clause forces the choice between exit and lock-in, and no funded UK alternative exists to make exit credible.