In a legal dispute involving London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, and tech firm Palantir, the high court has been informed that Khan has agreed to have his text messages and emails searched. This follows Khan’s decision in May to block a £50 million contract between Palantir and the Metropolitan Police. Palantir, a company specializing in artificial intelligence, is suing Khan’s office over the decision. Legal representatives for Khan said they initially did not think it was necessary for Khan to be included in the search of communications for the upcoming court case, but they agreed due to Palantir’s continued requests. Sarah Brown, Khan’s former director of communications, who now works for the prime minister, will also have her correspondence examined as part of the process. The proposed contract would have allowed Palantir to provide AI technology to help automate the analysis of intelligence in criminal investigations. However, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac), which oversees major contracts for London’s police force, claimed there had been a "clear and serious breach" of procurement rules. Mopac stated that the police had considered only one supplier—Palantir—before Khan blocked the deal. In response, Palantir accused Khan of prioritizing politics over public safety and announced in June that it would sue the London mayor. During a preliminary hearing, the high court was told that Khan and over a dozen other Mopac and Greater London Authority officials would be classified as "custodians." This designation means their digital communications, including text messages, WhatsApp chats, and Microsoft Teams conversations, will be searched for any information relevant to the legal dispute. These communications will then be shared with Palantir. Joseph Barrett KC, representing the mayor’s office, stated in written submissions that Mopac did not initially think it was necessary or fair to include Khan as a custodian, as the decision to block the deal was made by the deputy mayor for policing and crime. However, Palantir’s persistence led Mopac to agree to the search on a practical basis. Sarah Brown, who moved from the mayor’s office to a communications role at the prime minister’s office in July, was also listed as a custodian. This decision follows court documents from Palantir, which mentioned press reports about the mayor’s office blocking the deal, citing concerns over Palantir’s values and ethics. Mopac confirmed that Brown "initiated" press briefings about the decision to block the contract. The time frame for the communication searches has not yet been determined. Mopac is reportedly asking Palantir to provide its own internal documents related to the deal, which the company is resisting.