Sir Sadiq Khan's texts and emails are to be searched as part of a legal dispute concerning the blocking of a £50m deal between the Metropolitan Police and technology firm Palantir, the High Court has heard.
Palantir is taking legal action against the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) following its decision in May to prevent the Met from entering into a two-year contract with the company. The US tech firm was set to provide artificial intelligence technology to automate analysis in criminal investigations.
At a preliminary hearing, the court was informed that digital communications, including WhatsApp messages and Microsoft Teams chats, belonging to Sir Sadiq and over a dozen other MOPAC and City Hall officials, would be searched for relevant information. Joseph Barrett KC, representing MOPAC, stated in written submissions that the organisation consented to the mayor's inclusion "on a pragmatic basis."
The court also heard that messages from Sarah Brown, who was MOPAC's director of communications and strategy before becoming Downing Street's director of communications in July, must also be searched. MOPAC confirmed that Ms Brown "initiated" press briefings about the decision to block the deal.
MOPAC is defending the claim partly by arguing that the Met's own process for awarding the contract was flawed. Palantir, however, denies this, stating the case is about the conduct of MOPAC and the Met, not its internal operations.
A full hearing for the case is scheduled for January next year. The two parties have allocated more than £8m for legal costs.