Palantir settles dispute with Sadiq Khan

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and U.S. tech company Palantir have resolved a legal dispute over a £50 million police contract. Palantir had initiated a claim against London's Office for Policing and Crime in June, following Deputy Mayor's refusal to approve the contract with the Metropolitan Police for an AI and data analysis service.

In response, MOPAC accused Palantir and the Met Police of attempting to manipulate the procurement process, which violated rules. Palantir alleged that Khan's office had unjustly blocked the contract due to the company's values and ethics, as per media reports. However, both sides have now agreed to settle their differences, dropping the allegations without admitting any wrongdoing and sharing the legal expenses.

The settlement statement clarifies that the decision to block the contract was not based on Palantir's values or ethics or any external reports about the company. Instead, MOPAC's focus was on evaluating the procurement proposal against legal tests, governance, affordability, and ensuring value for money for Londoners. MOPAC is now collaborating with the Metropolitan Police Service to conduct a fresh competitive procurement for the service in question, and Palantir will have the opportunity to bid for it.

The statement also affirms that MOPAC has no history of not contracting with Palantir and reaffirms the mayor's commitment to ensuring all procurements are lawful, fair, transparent, and deliver value for money. Khan emphasized that London is the technology capital of Europe, and Palantir significantly contributes to employment and investment in the city, providing services to numerous Londoners through legal contracts with organizations across the U.K. and beyond.