Andy Burnham has a lot on his plate as incoming prime minister, but one of his early tests involves what to do about the world's 'scariest company' - Palantir. The US defence and surveillance tech behemoth has landed a swathe of British public contracts, including a particularly eyebrow-raising £330m deal with the NHS. The science, innovation and technology committee has already told him to ditch Palantir, citing a 'clear mismatch with UK values'. But the company has its cheerleaders: The Times and The Telegraph have been enthusiastic, and former Conservative adviser Camilla Cavendish accused critics of putting politics over progress, arguing in the Financial Times that 'what matters is what works'. Peter Geoghegan, who runs the investigative site Democracy for Sale, suggests that threadbare regulations and paid-for political access have helped embed the firm - but assures us there's a way to free ourselves.