Palantir-linked lobbyist worked on Burnham’s parliamentary campaign

A former lobbyist for Palantir worked on Andy Burnham’s campaign during the by-election that returned him to Parliament, according to an investigation by The Guardian. Martha Dalton, co-founder of the lobbying company Lodestone, took six weeks of unpaid leave to support Burnham’s campaign in Makerfield. She worked on strategic communications and rebuttals and later joined supporters welcoming him to Downing Street.

Lodestone worked for Palantir in 2024 and 2025 on projects including parliamentary events at which the technology company demonstrated software to MPs. Dalton’s work for Burnham came after Lodestone stopped working for Palantir. The connection has emerged as Palantir faces scrutiny over its £330m NHS England contract for a federated data platform.

A break clause in the agreement is due in February 2027, while campaigners are urging the government to end the deal. Critics have raised concerns about Palantir’s work for the Israeli military and US immigration authorities, as well as whether the benefits of its NHS technology have been overstated. Palantir has said its technology helped locate hostages but was not used to identify military targets in Gaza.

Dalton said on LinkedIn that it had been an honour to work on Burnham’s campaign. Lodestone said she had no contact with clients while on leave and had supported Burnham because she believed he was the best person to lead the Labour Party and country. A Labour spokesperson said robust rules and procedures were in place to manage potential conflicts and had been followed.

A Palantir spokesperson said Lodestone’s work focused on explaining how its software was used in public services, including issues of privacy and security. The report also noted Palantir’s links to other UK public-sector contracts, including agreements with the Ministry of Defence, police forces and councils.