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Fri, 06 Mar 2026

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 Mayor Sadiq Khan invites embattled AI firm Anthropic to expand in London

The letter from London's mayor came as the US moved to designate the company a supply chain risk.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has written a letter to the CEO of Anthropic, inviting them to expand their operations in London, while criticizing the Trump administration for designating the AI company as a supply chain risk due to its refusal to grant US defense agencies access to its tools. The Pentagon's designation means that the US government considers Anthropic not secure enough to use its technology. However, Anthropic has stated that it plans to challenge the decision in court. In his letter, Sir Sadiq Khan expressed concern over what he called "intimidation and punishment" by the Trump administration for Anthropic's stance on ethical safeguards. He offered London as a potential alternative location for the company, highlighting its potential for growth. Anthropic has been in talks with the US Department of Defense but negotiations have broken down after Under Secretary of Defense Emil Michael stated that there were no active negotiations between the two parties. The designation also affects Microsoft's use of Anthropic technology, which it had embedded in some products. However, a spokesperson for Microsoft told the BBC that its lawyers had concluded that Anthropic products could remain available to customers, with an exception carved out for the US Department of Defense. A White House spokesperson responded to Sir Sadiq Khan's letter by stating that the Trump administration would not allow "a radical left, woke company" to dictate how the US military fights wars.