London mayor's communications to be examined in Palantir lawsuit over police AI contract
Lord Sadiq Khan’s emails, texts and chat logs will be searched as part of Palantir’s High Court case against the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime over a blocked £50 million AI deal with the Metropolitan Police.
The High Court has been told to allow a search of Lord Sadiq Khan’s electronic communications as Palantir pursues legal action against the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac). The dispute stems from Mopac’s May decision to block a £50 million, two-year contract that would have let the Metropolitan Police use Palantir’s artificial-intelligence tools for criminal-investigation analysis. Palantir’s claim alleges that Mopac acted unlawfully by rejecting the deal on “values and ethics” grounds.
The court order will cover Khan’s texts, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams and email messages from September 1 2025 through May 28 2026, and also includes former communications chief Sarah Brown. Mopac’s lawyer argued the mayor’s inclusion was not initially necessary, but the office has now agreed to the search. A full hearing is set for January, and the Met is preparing a new procurement process while Palantir seeks a declaration that the veto was illegal and an order to award the contract to the firm.
Why it matters
The case could determine how UK police procure AI technology and set precedent for governmental veto powers.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage highlights Palantir’s ties to the Israeli military and former U.S. administration and frames the mayor’s consent as a pragmatic decision, while right-leaning coverage stresses Palantir’s claim that the contract was rejected on “values and ethics” grounds and notes the lawyer’s objection to the communications search.
LEFT
Frames the story around the mayor’s pragmatic consent and flags Palantir’s controversial clients.
RIGHT
Frames the story as a legal dispute centered on Palantir’s allegation of unlawful rejection on values-and-ethics grounds.
The left emphasises
- Palantir, which provides AI tools to the Israeli military and the former U.S. administration
- the mayor’s legal team said the move was made on pragmatic grounds after Palantir’s continued demands
The right emphasises
- Palantir’s claim alleges that Mopac acted unlawfully by rejecting the deal on “values and ethics” grounds
- Mopac’s lawyer argued the mayor’s inclusion was not initially necessary, but the office has now agreed
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