- Palantir is suing MOPAC after the £50m proposed contract with the Met was blocked in May.
- The mayor and more than a dozen officials will have relevant digital communications searched as part of the case.
- The dispute centres on whether the Met followed proper procurement procedures and whether MOPAC acted lawfully in stopping the deal.
The legal battle began when MOPAC, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, blocked a proposed £50m, two-year contract between the Metropolitan Police and Palantir.
The US technology company was due to provide AI tools to help the Met automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations. The proposed agreement followed an earlier short-term arrangement between the force and Palantir.
MOPAC said the Met had seriously considered only one supplier and had failed to present its procurement strategy for approval. It described this as a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules and said the process prevented it from properly assessing value for money.
Palantir strongly disagreed.
After the contract was blocked, the company accused Khan of putting politics ahead of public safety. It subsequently launched a High Court challenge against MOPAC, arguing that the body had acted unlawfully.
Palantir claims MOPAC introduced an “unlawful veto” and wrongly considered the company’s values and ethics when deciding whether to allow the contract.
It is seeking a declaration that MOPAC acted unlawfully, an order quashing the decision and an order that the contract be awarded to Palantir.
Why are Khan’s messages being searched?
The case has now moved into a crucial evidence-gathering stage.
At a preliminary High Court hearing, Khan and more than a dozen other MOPAC and Greater London Authority officials were designated as “custodians” for the case.
That means their relevant digital communications can be searched for material connected to the dispute. These include emails, text messages, WhatsApp conversations and Microsoft Teams chats, where they exist.
Khan was not initially expected to be included.
MOPAC’s lawyers told the court that they had originally considered it unnecessary and disproportionate to make the mayor a custodian because the contract decision was taken by the deputy mayor for policing and crime.
However, Palantir continued to press for Khan’s inclusion. MOPAC eventually agreed on a “pragmatic basis”.
The searches do not mean that Khan has been accused of wrongdoing. They are part of the disclosure process in the legal proceedings and are intended to identify communications relevant to the issues being disputed.
The exact date range for the searches is still being negotiated.
Sarah Brown, Khan’s former director of communications and strategy, will also have her correspondence searched. Brown moved to Downing Street in July and is now the prime minister’s director of communications.
Her inclusion is particularly relevant because MOPAC has confirmed that she “initiated” press briefings about the decision to block the Palantir contract.
What does Palantir want from MOPAC?
There is a second evidence battle taking place alongside the search of Khan’s communications.
MOPAC is seeking access to Palantir’s own internal documents relating to the contract. Palantir has agreed to provide communications with the Met but is resisting the wider request.
The company says MOPAC’s demand could require it to review around 150,000 documents and has described the request as a “fishing expedition”.
MOPAC argues that Palantir’s internal material could help establish what happened during the procurement process and support its defence of the decision.
The two sides therefore disagree not only over whether the £50m contract should have been blocked, but also over how much evidence each should have to disclose to prove its case.
The full legal battle is due to be heard at the High Court in January 2027.
Before then, the court will have to resolve outstanding questions over disclosure, including the date range for the communications searches and which officials should be included.
The two sides have set aside more than £8m in legal costs for the case, under budgets agreed with the court.
Meanwhile, the Met has started work on a new procurement process for the technology.
The eventual ruling will determine whether MOPAC acted lawfully when it blocked Palantir’s proposed contract. But the case could also provide a detailed look at how a major public-sector technology deal was handled — and what happened behind the scenes before a £50m police contract ended up in court.
