Story perspectives

London Mayor Blocks £50 Million Palantir Police Deal

5/22/2026

Summary

Khan Blocks Palantir

London mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million police contract with Palantir, saying it breached procurement rules because the Met lacked required Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) approval.
The Met’s pilot contracts with Palantir total under £500,000, below the threshold that triggers scrutiny.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Green Party members and the Police Federation welcomed block, urging cancellation of the £500,000 contract and warned AI tool could erode trust.

Summary

Met Police Cuts

Metropolitan Police faces a £125 million funding gap, will cut 1,100 jobs, and says the mayor’s block may delay modernisation.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a £115 million AI policing platform and urged forces to adopt AI “at pace and scale”.
Financial Conduct Authority and Coventry City Council awarded Palantir contracts—FCA for data-lake analysis and Coventry renewing a deal despite opposition—while Foxglove accused Palantir of a “land and expand” approach using pilots.

History

Historical Context

After the Metropolitan Police’s 2020 Court of Appeal ruling that its live facial-recognition trial violated human-rights law, London’s police have faced mounting legal challenges and civil-rights pressure from groups like Big Brother Watch. In this context, Mayor Sadiq Khan halted a £50 million Palantir AI policing contract, noting procurement breaches, while the Met’s system has logged over 360 arrests from a 16,000-suspect database.

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Khan Blocks Palantir

London mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million police contract with Palantir, saying it breached procurement rules because the Met lacked required Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) approval.
The Met’s pilot contracts with Palantir total under £500,000, below the threshold that triggers scrutiny.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Green Party members and the Police Federation welcomed block, urging cancellation of the £500,000 contract and warned AI tool could erode trust.

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