Sadiq Khan agrees to search of texts and emails in Palantir legal battle

Sadiq Khan has agreed to let lawyers search his text messages and emails in the legal battle over his decision to block Palantir from working with London’s Metropolitan police.

The mayor stopped a proposed £50 million, two-year contract in May. Palantir, the US artificial intelligence company, then sued Khan’s office. The deal would have provided technology to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations.

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did not originally consider it necessary

At a preliminary High Court hearing, Khan and more than a dozen officials from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the Greater London Authority were designated “custodians.” Their texts, WhatsApp messages, Microsoft Teams chats, and other digital communications will be searched for material relevant to the dispute and disclosed to Palantir.

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clear and serious breach

Khan’s lawyers said Mopac had not initially considered it necessary or proportionate to include the mayor because the decision was made by the deputy mayor for policing and crime. They said Palantir persisted with its requests, and Mopac agreed on a pragmatic basis. Sarah Brown, Khan’s former communications director and now director of communications at Downing Street, will also have her correspondence searched.

Mopac said there had been a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules because police had seriously considered only one supplier. Palantir accused Khan of “putting politics above public safety” and announced plans to sue. The company’s court documents also pointed to press reports about concerns over its values and ethics. Mopac confirmed that Brown initiated press briefings about the decision. The period covered by the searches has not yet been decided.

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putting politics above public safety