The election of a new mayor in New York City is rarely big news in the UK, but Zohran Mamdani’s victory has drawn a lot of attention, especially on the British political left.
“This is what socialist representation looks like,” posted a jubilant Zarah Sarah, along with a photo of her Mamdani.
The former Labor MP is in the process of forming a new left-wing party with Jeremy Corbyn, which will also celebrate the 34-year-old democratic socialist.
Corbyn, a former Labor leader, hosted a phone bank on Sunday night to “get the vote” for Mamdani, who sported a “North London 4 Zohran” Arsenal Football Shirt. Both are fans of the club.
Mamdani’s policies, such as taxing the rich, universal free childcare and overflowing Socialism with Corbyn and Sultana share a record with pro-Palestinian allies.
But the fact that Mamdani took and beat the old guard in the sentence, defeated Andrew Cuomo, who was forced to run without the development of left-womers in the left fold.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski was also quick to celebrate Mamdani’s victory and did not hesitate to encourage comparisons with himself, adopting “the same relentless focus on inequality”.
The attention of Polanski in “Eco-populism” his party will record the level of membership and he has signed his willingness to work with Corbyn and Sultana when their new party from the ground.
Senior Labor Party figures were more muted in their reaction.
The three-term London Mayor Mayor Sadiq Khan, who shares Mamdani’s belief in Mamdani and like him on the receiving end of attacks from Donald Trump, is clearly happy.
“New Yorkers face a clear choice – between hope and fear – and just like we see hope in London,” he said on social media.
But the cabinet ministers – with the exception of Health Secretary Wes – did not hesitate to congratulate the newly elected Mayor of New York.
Writing in X, Streeting, who said the leadership ambitions, wrote that Mamdani’s campaign was “inspired” and that there were “lessons for progressives around the world”.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, adopted a different tone. Asked by Sky News whether he likes Mamdani, he replied: “I’ll be honest, I don’t follow American politics in particular.”
Sarah Smith, a backbench Labor MP who was elected in 2024, told BBC politics Mamdani’s election “brings real hope to progressive politicians like myself”.
But he said it was also a sign of “how easy it is to fix politics these days” and that he now faces “some real challenges” to take care of what he said he would do and keep the businesses he was going to do and keep the businesses he was going to do and keep the businesses on the side.
The reaction on the British political right was even more muted.
Conservative Peer Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to sit in a British cabinet, posted that it was “a beautiful moment for all of us to celebrate all that we celebrate regardless of our politics, left or right”.
“Hope won there and it can win here. Many, many feelings of a young man who in spite of all the attacks remains unprofitable to himself.”
But Warsi has been increasingly estranged from the conservative party since leaving the political front.
A breakdown of Mamdani’s policies and background In Spectator magazine It may be closer to the views of the average Tory MP, who has a tribal aversion to socialism in all its forms.
It’s always dangerous to read too much into US politics into UK politics – there are very different electoral systems and traditions.
And others clearly had their fill of Mamdani Fever.
An influential labor figure said: “I’ll tell you what, I can’t of all people get us this Mayor of New York and what the Labor Party stands for.”
Some also see the election of more traditional Democrats as governors of New Jersey and Virginia by comfortable margins as a more important sign of where US politics is headed in the midterm elections.
But for left-wing British dishes looking for a source of inspiration – a sign that could possibly win a clear socialist platapus in Slick, now Mamdani is hard to beat.