Sadiq Khan cancels Met police Palantir contract, with pressure to end all links to AI firm

Sadiq Khan cancels Met police Palantir contract, with pressure to end all links to AI firm Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Fri, 05/22/2026 - 11:47 London mayor blocked £50m Palantir deal with the Met on Thursday, but police force already has a contract with tech giant linked to Israeli atrocities UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C), flanked by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (R) and Police Commander Clair Hayne in London, on 15 May (AFP/Peter Nicholls) Off Palestine solidarity campaigners and the Green Party have welcomed London mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to block a £50m ($67m) Metropolitan Police deal with Palantir, while warning that “smaller contracts are still in play”. Khan blocked what would have been the US tech company’s biggest contract with UK police on Thursday, citing a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules. The Met had been in talks to use Palantir’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations, the Guardian reported . Palantir already has contracts with the UK’s Ministry of Defence and the National Health Service (NHS). The company is implicated in Israel ’s genocide in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank through a deal with the Israeli defence ministry and Israel’s use of its technology. In February 2026, the Met police awarded Palantir a contract worth nearly £500,000 to use the company’s operating system as part of its professional services function. As part of the pilot, a Palantir AI tool is used to assess officers’ device data. Middle East Eye can reveal that London’s police force considers Palantir to be an appropriate supplier because it is used by the British government. In a meeting of the London Assembly’s Poli...

Original source: Middle East Eye