The former head of MI6 introduced Palantir to a top government official in the Cabinet Office a year before the US spy tech firm won a £27m contract with the department.
openDemocracy can reveal that Sir John Sawers set up a meeting between Palantir’s CEO and the Cabinet Office permanent secretary, John Manzoni, in 2019, when the company was pitching for new business.
Palantir went on to win a data deal – without competitive tender – from the Cabinet Office, having touted the benefits of its “unique software” in subsequent correspondence to the department.
