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  "path": "/politics/sadiq-khan-blocks-met-police-deal-ai-palantir",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-21T12:42:08.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Sadiq Khan's car ban plans handed major setback just months before coming into force",
    "Sadiq Khan blames Maga, Russia and China for 'lie' that London is in decline",
    "Sadiq Khan calls on Londoners to support West Ham or face £2.5million bill if Hammers go down",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nSadiq Khan has blocked a £50million deal between the Met Police and an AI software firm.\n\nThe Mayor of London argued that the deal with the US tech company Palantir was a \"clear and serious breach\" of procurement rules.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nScotland Yard was accused of negotiating with only one supplier, with no evidence of \"demonstrated value for money\".\n\nThe agreement was designed to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations and would have marked the largest ever contract in British policing.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAny potential deals must go through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.\n\nIt is understood that the blocking will not affect a future deal with the US firm.\n\nThe company have more than £600million in contracts with the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, the Financial Conduct Authority, and other police forces across Britain.\n\nTech billionaire Peter Thiel, who has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and serves in both the Israeli military and Ice, co-founded the firm.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSir Keir Starmer has previously visited Palantir’s showroom in Washington DC.\n\nThe mayor’s spokesman told the Guardian that Mr Khan believes Londoners only wanted to see public money being paid to companies that “share the values of our city”.\n\nHe added that the mayor will challenge a rule that bars ethics from being taken into account in public procurement processes.\n\nSir Sadiq has been in a decade-long feud with President Trump, calling his policies \"divisive and dangerous\".\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Sadiq Khan's car ban plans handed major setback just months before coming into force\n  * Sadiq Khan blames Maga, Russia and China for 'lie' that London is in decline\n  * Sadiq Khan calls on Londoners to support West Ham or face £2.5million bill if Hammers go down\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIn a letter to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: \"I have not been provided with any acceptable explanation for this failure, which I regard as a clear and serious breach of the applicable procedural requirements.\"\n\nShe added that the process had created \"legal and reputation risks\" to both the Metropolitan Police and Mr Khan.\n\nMs Comer-Schwartz emphasised that the contract was at the higher end of the £15million-£25million a year budgeted by the force for the contract.\n\nLast month, Scotland Yard praised a trial to flag corrupt and failing officers in the force, claiming it resulted in hundreds of officers being investigated for misdemeanours.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe offences included making money by abusing the computerised roster system, falsely claiming to be in the office and failing to declare that they were Freemasons.\n\nPalantir AI, which assists investigations, has also been praised as transformative by other forces across the UK, including the processes evidence on mobile phones.\n\nMr Khan's blocking of the move also contrasts with Labour's efforts to use AI to improve policing.\n\nGB News has approached the Mayor of London for comment.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Sadiq Khan BLOCKS £50m Met Police deal with AI software firm"
}