PoliticsJOE Podcast Palantir is taking over Britain. This is how | Martin Wrigley interview
Mar 1, 2026
Martin Wrigley, former software architect and telecoms exec turned MP, brings two decades of experience in large-scale data systems and AI. He discusses how Palantir has spread into the NHS, MOD and police. He raises transparency and procurement worries, single-supplier risks, data hosting and control concerns, and argues for UK tech sovereignty and stronger rules on post-government employment.
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AI Is Probabilistic Not Deterministic
- Martin Wrigley frames modern AI as older algorithms plus vastly more compute and better NLP, meaning outputs are probabilistic not deterministic.
- He warns this makes AI unreliable for safety‑critical, testable systems because it can't guarantee repeatable outcomes.
From Orange Architect To MP Observing Big Data
- Martin Wrigley recounts his telecoms career building large‑scale data systems at Orange before politics.
- He compares early data warehouses to today's AI‑powered Palantir platforms.
Palantir Rapidly Embedded In UK Public Services
- Palantir began offering services free in the pandemic and quickly expanded into NHS and MOD deployments.
- Wrigley highlights a mandated NHS rollout to nearly every provider and a £330m contract despite unclear benefits.