Martha Dalton, whose company Lodestone represented Palantir in 2024 and 2025, actively campaigned for Andy Burnham during the Makerfield by-election, which secured his return to parliament. She collaborated closely with Burnham's team on strategic communications and rebuttals, and was present among supporters who welcomed him into Downing Street in July. Dalton's LinkedIn profile indicates her work on Burnham's campaign to become Labour leader and prime minister was "an absolute honour." She took a six-week unpaid leave from Lodestone to dedicate time to the Makerfield campaign. A spokesperson for Lodestone stated that Dalton had no contact with clients during this period and participated due to her belief in Burnham's leadership.
Lodestone, co-founded by Dalton, engaged with Palantir on projects that included promoting its software at parliamentary events. During these events, Palantir engineers demonstrated AI-powered systems for potential use in British public services to Members of Parliament. Dalton's prior political campaign work includes the autumn 2025 deputy leadership campaign for Lucy Powell, the current education secretary, a few months after Lodestone concluded its work with Palantir.
The emergence of Dalton's role coincides with Palantir's efforts to retain its £330 million contract with NHS England for the federated data platform, a national medical data system. Burnham's government is currently under pressure to terminate this agreement. Critics have expressed concerns regarding Palantir's involvement with the Israeli military in Gaza and its work with Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States. Additionally, NHS England's chief executive, Jim Mackey, has acknowledged concerns that the public health benefits of the platform may not be as substantial as initially presented.
The Makerfield by-election, held on June 18, 2026, saw Burnham win with nearly 25,000 votes, securing a majority of over 9,200 votes. This victory exceeded initial polling expectations, which had predicted a narrower margin against Reform UK. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Josh Simons, the then-Labour MP for Makerfield, to allow Burnham to stand for parliament and challenge then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Following Starmer's resignation four days after the by-election, Burnham was elected unopposed as the Labour Party leader on July 17, 2026, and became Prime Minister on July 20, 2026.
Lodestone's work for Palantir and Dalton's subsequent involvement with Burnham highlight the ongoing connections between the Labour Party and the technology firm. Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel, also holds contracts with the US and UK militaries. Earlier this month, Labour peer Tom Watson accepted a full-time position lobbying for Palantir, having previously served on Lodestone's strategic advisory council.