LONDON

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the head of the AI company, Anthropic, offering to discuss expanding the firm’s presence in the British capital amid tensions between the firm and US President Donald Trump’s administration.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that in a letter to Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, Khan said London could offer “an even more significant location and platform for the future of Anthropic.”

The move follows a dispute between the White House and the Silicon Valley firm after it refused to allow the Pentagon to use its technology for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk” on Thursday, limiting how military suppliers can work with the company.

Sadiq criticized the decision in his letter, praising the company’s stance.

“It is extremely concerning to see this kind of behaviour, which is a clear attempt to intimidate and punish Anthropic for refusing to remove ethical safeguards. I applaud your steadfastness in the face of such pressure,” he wrote. “Anthropic’s approach to safety and governance reflects the principles we want to see embedded in frontier AI development – that innovation must be accompanied by robust safeguards and genuine public trust.”

The mayor said London would offer a “pro-innovation environment” where the company’s technology “can flourish”.

“That is why I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you, not only about what AI safeguards you think are needed but also about how London could provide an even more significant location and platform for the future of Anthropic,” he added.

Trump described Anthropic as a “radical left, woke company” and threatened criminal action.

Amodei apologized Thursday for remarks suggesting the president disliked the company because it had refused to give him “dictator-style praise.”

“It was a difficult day for the company, and I apologize for the tone of the post,” he said. “It does not reflect my careful or considered views.”

Trump, a long-standing critic of Khan, launched a new attack during a meeting Tuesday in the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“You have a terrible Mayor of London, he’s an incompetent guy, you have Sharia courts, you don’t want Sharia courts,” said Trump.

A spokesman for Sadiq responded. “The Mayor is clearly still living rent free in Donald Trump’s head. He’s obsessed with him. Sadiq could probably claim squatters’ rights.”

Sadiq has vocally opposed Trump since he first entered the White House in 2017.