Susie Coen
Tue, July 22, 2025 at 10:23 PM UTC
3 min read
Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for New York mayor in June - Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Sir Sadiq Khan shared advice with Zohran Mamdani after the socialist Democrat stormed to victory to become the Democratic nomination for New York mayor.
Mr Mamdani, 33, beat Andrew Cuomo in June after carrying out a social media campaign deemed so successful it was praised by some of President Donald Trump's supporters.
Since his shock victory, Mr Mamdani and Sir Sadiq have spoken over the phone, a source close to the candidate's campaign told The Telegraph.
"Zohran has been in touch with a number of progressive mayors, including Michelle Wu in Boston and Sadiq Khan," the source said.
The phone call with Sir Sadiq was "warm and collegial and Mayor Khan had some words of advice", they said, but the pair did not "talk strategy".
Sources close to Sir Sadiq suggested that Mr Mamdani should shift to the centre to broaden his appeal.
Sir Sadiq, who clinched a historic third term last year, initially beat Zac Gold, the Conservative candidate, in 2016 by trouncing his Labour rivals on the Left and then moving towards the centre.
Sadiq Khan visited New York in 2022 to promote London tourism - Pacific Press/Getty Images
Mr Mamdani secured the nomination with promises to make New York more affordable for residents, including rent freezes and launching city-run supermarkets.
He will now face Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, as well as Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor, and Mr Cuomo, who are both running as independents in a crowded field.
Mr Mamdani, who has been called a "communist lunatic" by Mr Trump, has been accused by his critics of posing a danger to the most populous city in the US.
During his primary campaign, Mr Mamdani distanced himself from some of his most controversial statements, including past support for defunding the police.
A source in London's City Hall told The Times: "The primary race is very different from the [mayoral election]. He needs to moderate or he could lose the more centrist Democrats."
But a source close to Mr Mamdani's campaign told The Telegraph: "Zohran won by a significant margin, this wasn't a close race, it was an affirmation that the values he ran on are something that resonate with New Yorkers and they feel really committed to the progressive values he ran his campaign on."
The source added that Sir Sadiq has a "unique set of experiences" as the only Muslim mayor of a Western city, which Mr Mamdani will likely speak to the Labour politician about if he is elected.
While they share some similarities, Mr Mamdani's policies skew more progressive than those of Sir Sadiq.
During his 2016 campaign, the Labour politician pledged to raise the London living wage, a promise he kept within months of taking office.
Mr Mamdani also promised to boost the New York City minimum wage, vowing to increase it to $16.50-per-hour and almost double it to $30-per-hour by 2030.
Both politicians have also campaigned on the promise to build more affordable housing.
Mr Mamdani has promised to freeze rent and spend $100bn building 200,000 units of affordable homes over the next 10 years.
During his campaign last year, Sir Sadiq committed to building 40,000 new council homes by the end of the decade.
While Mr Mamdani has pledged to deliver free buses in New York City, Sir Sadiq has frozen bus fares six times since he was elected in 2016.
Comments
Post a Comment