Sadiq Khan agrees to communications search in Palantir court case

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to have his electronic communications searched for material relevant to a legal dispute with US technology company Palantir, the High Court was told on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

The step forms part of pre-trial disclosure in Palantir’s case against the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, known as Mopac. Palantir sued after Khan intervened in May to block a proposed two-year, £50 million contract under which the company would have supplied artificial-intelligence technology to the Metropolitan Police.

Mopac said at the time that the procurement process involved a clear and serious breach of rules because police had seriously considered only one supplier. Palantir accused the mayor of putting politics ahead of public safety and announced its legal action in June.

At Thursday’s preliminary hearing, the court heard that Khan and more than a dozen officials from Mopac and the Greater London Authority would be treated as custodians for disclosure purposes. Relevant texts, WhatsApp messages, emails and Microsoft Teams chats may therefore be searched and disclosed in the litigation.

Lawyers for the mayor’s office said they had initially considered adding Khan unnecessary and disproportionate because the deputy mayor for policing and crime made the decision and relevant documents were likely held by other officials. They said Mopac later consented on a pragmatic basis after repeated requests from Palantir.

Sarah Brown, Khan’s former communications director and now a Downing Street official, will also be included in the searches. The precise date range has not yet been settled.

The proposed contract would have used Palantir software to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations. The court case will examine the lawfulness of the decision to stop the procurement; Thursday’s hearing did not determine the merits of either side’s arguments.