Mayor's emails to be searched in Palantir battle

Sir Sadiq Khan will have his texts and emails searched as part of a legal battle over the blocking of a £50m deal between the Metropolitan Police and technology firm Palantir, the High Court has been told.

Palantir is suing the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) over its decision in May to block the Met from agreeing to a two-year deal with the firm.

At a preliminary hearing, the High Court was told Khan and more than a dozen other Mopac and Greater London Authority officials would have their digital communications searched for anything relevant to the legal battle.

Anything found within text messages, WhatsApp messages, and Microsoft Teams chats will disclosed to Palantir.

Palantir had been due to provide artificial intelligence technology to the Met Police to automate analysis in criminal investigations.

Joseph Barrett KC, for Mopac, said in written submissions the organisation consented for the mayor to be included "on a pragmatic basis".

Sarah Brown, who was appointed as Downing Street's director of communications in July after working as Khan's director of communications and strategy, must also have her messages searched, the court heard.

Palantir said in court documents outlining its claim that press articles on Mopac's refusal to approve the deal cited concerns about Palantir's values and ethics.

Mopac confirmed Brown "initiated" press briefings about the decision.

The date range for the communication searches will be determined at the hearing in London before Mr Justice Constable.

Blocking the contract earlier this year, Mopac said Palantir was the only supplier the Met had seriously considered for the proposed contract.

It also said the force failed to present its procurement strategy to Mopac for approval in a "clear and serious breach" of procedure, meaning City Hall could not ensure value for money.

In June, Palantir filed a legal claim against Mopac at the High Court, with lawyers for the company claiming in court documents that the body introduced an "unlawful veto" by wrongly considering the firm's "values and ethics" when deciding to block the contract.

It is seeking a declaration that Mopac has acted unlawfully, an order quashing the decision, and an order that the contract be awarded to the claimant.

Mopac's lawyers claimed the Met's procurement strategy was unlawful or created a risk of "unlawfulness".

The Met has since begun working on a new procurement process for the contract.

A full hearing of the case is due to be held in January next year.

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