Palantir Threatens Legal Action Against London Mayor Over Blocked £50m Police Contract

Palantir's lawyers have written to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) signalling the company's intent to challenge in court the late-May decision to block a contract worth up to £50m over two years with the Metropolitan Police. Khan's office confirmed receipt of the letter but maintained the decision was based solely on procurement grounds — specifically that the Met failed to present its procurement strategy for approval and did not adequately demonstrate value for money — and not on political or ethical considerations. The Met had planned to use Palantir's Unified Operational Analytics platform to automate intelligence report processing, mobile device analysis, and data handling, with the expectation of reducing around 500 full-time equivalent backroom posts; Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley now says those savings are 'at risk' and that a further 200 serious and organised crime posts may also need to be cut, bringing the total threatened to around 700. The Met argues its procurement process was legally and commercially compliant and that Palantir was selected from a Crown Commercial Service framework agreement, while MOPAC counters that the force only fully engaged with Palantir as a potential supplier. The dispute unfolds amid broader UK scrutiny of Palantir: the government is reviewing whether to extend or break a separate £330m NHS contract, a parliamentary committee has called Palantir an 'unacceptable point of weakness' in public sector supply chains, and senior ministers including Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy have called for greater diversification of government technology contracts. Palantir has also faced criticism over its work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Israeli military, as well as controversial public statements by its executives.