Palantir sues London mayor's office after £50m police deal blocked
London says Palantir's values don't align with the city's. Palantir says that's illegal.
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London. Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
- Palantir is suing London's mayor over a blocked £50 million AI contract with police, claiming the decision wrongly considered the company's "values and ethics."
- Khan's office rejected the deal, citing lack of competitive bidding and concerns that Palantir doesn't align with "London's values."
- The dispute centers on Palantir's work with US military and immigration services, plus co-founder Peter Thiel's politics, as Europe grows wary of US tech dependency.
- A UK parliamentary committee called Palantir a "clear mismatch with UK values" and recommended canceling a separate £330 million NHS contract with the firm.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
US tech firm Palantir is challenging a decision to block a contract with London police, arguing on Thursday that London mayor Sadiq Khan's office wrongly took into account the company's "values and ethics".
Palantir had agreed a two-year, £50 million ($67.06 million) contract with the Metropolitan Police to use its artificial intelligence systems to automate certain tasks and for evidence analysis in criminal investigations.
But the mayor's office refused to approve the deal, telling the Met Police in May that the force had failed to have an open competition for the contract.
Reports also quoted a spokesperson for Khan citing concerns Palantir did not align with "London's values", which Palantir has criticised as "putting politics above public safety".
Palantir's supply of software for the US military and immigration services, plus billionaire co-founder Peter Thiel's political views, have drawn scrutiny as European governments grow increasingly wary about dependency on US tech platforms.
The company is challenging the refusal at London's High Court, arguing the decision unlawfully took a view of Palantir's values and ethics into account, which Khan's office denies.
Palantir's lawyer David Pannick said the Met "desperately needed technology in order to save money" and that the force argued the deal "would enable them to protect frontline services".
The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, however, said in court filings that the contract was not approved because the Met did not obtain approval for its procurement strategy and only spoke to one supplier.
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Judge Adam Constable said a trial of Palantir's case would take place in January, rejecting the company's request for an earlier hearing later this year.
Britain is also conducting a review of a £330 million National Health Service contract with Palantir, while a parliamentary committee last month said the company had a "clear mismatch with UK values" and recommended using a break clause, a suggestion Palantir's British CEO Louis Mosley called "irresponsible."