Sadiq Khan agrees to have his texts and emails searched in Palantir legal battle
US tech company has sued London mayor after he prevented it from working with Metropolitan police Sadiq Khan has agreed for his text messages and emails to be searched as part of a legal battle with Palantir, the high court has been told, after he prevented the US technology company from working with the Metropolitan police. The London mayor stepped in to block a £50m deal between Palantir and…
A legal dispute between London Mayor Sadiq Khan and tech company Palantir has led to an agreement that Khan's text messages and emails will be searched as part of the ongoing litigation. The high court has been informed that Khan, along with over a dozen other Metropolitan Police and Greater London Authority officials, will be classified as "custodians."
This designation implies that their digital communications, including text messages, WhatsApp messages, and Microsoft Teams chats, will be scrutinized for any relevant information to the legal battle. Palantir, which provides AI technology to the Israeli military and the Trump administration, had been seeking a £50m deal with the Metropolitan Police before Khan intervened in May.
The company subsequently filed a lawsuit against Khan's office over the decision. Initially, the mayor's office did not consider it necessary to include Khan among the custodians, but they eventually relented due to Palantir's persistence. Sarah Brown, Khan's former director of communications and now Downing Street's director of communications, will also have her correspondence searched.
The date range for the communication searches remains undetermined, and Mopac, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, is requesting access to Palantir's internal documents related to the deal, which the company is reportedly resisting.
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