5 top UK news stories today: Calls to axe £330 million NHS AI contract, New school gender rules, Tesco clubcards for teens & more (13 February 2026)
Here’s your UK news roundup for Friday (13 February 2026):
NHS deal with AI firm Palantir called into question
Health officials fear Palantir’s reputation will hinder the delivery of a “vital” £330 million NHS contract, according to briefings seen by the Guardian, sparking fresh calls for the deal to be scrapped. In 2023, ministers selected Palantir, a US surveillance technology company that also works for the Israeli military and Donald Trump’s ICE operation, to build an AI-enabled data platform to connect disparate health information across the NHS. [Guardian]
Axed civil servant gets £260,000 amid Whitehall revolt against Starmer
Government officials refused to sign off on Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to sack Britain’s most senior civil servant because it would cost the taxpayer a quarter of a million pounds that could not be justified.
In an unprecedented move, senior civil servants told Starmer that ministers would have to issue a formal “direction” to officials to make the redundancy payment to the Sir Chris Wormald, the cabinet secretary, because there were no clear and compelling reasons why he should be sacked. Starmer overrode their concerns and agreed to the payout, having concluded that he could no longer work with the man he appointed just over a year ago. [The Times]
New gender rules for UK schools
Schools and colleges will soon have clear and pragmatic guidance instructing them that they must take a very careful approach when a child asks to socially transition. Legal duties will be absolutely clear after the government embeds guidance within Keeping children safe in education, the established statutory safeguarding framework schools are expected to follow. Backed by Baroness Cass, whose review warned that strong evidence about the impact of social transition remains limited, the guidance says children’s wellbeing and safeguarding must be at the centre of every decision, and schools cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. [Gov.UK]
Tesco plans to give under-18s Clubcard access
Tesco intends to make its Clubcard available to under-18s this year, the supermarket said. Its loyalty scheme allows shoppers to get discounts on thousands of products, including its popular meal deals, and collect points which can be turned into vouchers. The supermarket did not say why it has decided to widen eligibility to younger customers or elaborate on how this might work. It follows campaigning from Which? urging supermarkets to lift what it called “unfair restrictions” on who can access loyalty schemes. [BBC]
Financial news
On Friday, Oil was trading lower at $66.31. The pound is trading at $1.36, €1.15, and ¥9.38.
