Palantir challenges blocked London police contract in UK court dispute

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Palantir London police contract dispute

Highlights

Palantir is contesting the London mayor's rejection of a two-year, £50 million Metropolitan Police AI contract in the High Court, claiming improper focus on company values.
The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime blocked the contract due to the Met's failure to run an open competition and obtain procurement strategy approval, with trial set for January.
UK scrutiny of Palantir intensifies, as a parliamentary committee urged the NHS consider breaking its £330 million contract, citing mismatch with UK values and ethical concerns.

High Court case over procurement and approval

As reported by Reuters, Palantir is challenging a decision to block its agreement with the Metropolitan Police, arguing that London mayor Sadiq Khan's office wrongly took the company's "values and ethics" into account when refusing to approve the contract.

Palantir had agreed to a two-year, 50 million pound contract with the force to use its artificial intelligence systems to automate certain tasks and help analyze evidence in criminal investigations. The mayor's office refused approval in May, telling the Met that it had failed to run an open competition for the contract.

The company is now contesting that refusal at London's High Court. Palantir's lawyer, David Pannick, said the Met "desperately needed technology in order to save money" and argued the deal "would enable them to protect frontline services."

The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime says in court filings that the contract is not approved because the Met did not secure approval for its procurement strategy and spoke to only one supplier. Judge Adam Constable says a trial will take place in January, after rejecting Palantir's request for an earlier hearing later this year.

Broader scrutiny of Palantir in the UK

Reports also quote a spokesperson for Khan citing concerns that Palantir does not align with "London's values," a position the company criticizes as putting politics above public safety.

Palantir's software work for the U.S. military and immigration services, along with the political views of co-founder Peter Thiel, has drawn scrutiny as European governments become increasingly wary about dependence on U.S. technology platforms.

Britain is also conducting a review of a 330 million pound National Health Service contract with Palantir. Last month, a parliamentary committee said the company had a "clear mismatch with UK values" and recommended using a break clause, a suggestion that Palantir's British CEO Louis Mosley called "irresponsible."

In our earlier article on the Metropolitan Police investigation into donations linked to Robert Jenrick’s 2024 leadership bid, we outlined allegations that part of a £100,000 contribution may have originated from a U.S. businessman and his company, potentially breaching the UK ban on foreign political donations. We also noted how tightening scrutiny around political finance is fuelling wider legal and regulatory pressure on high-profile figures in UK politics.

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