Progressive. Muslim. A Trump target. Before Mamdani, there was London Mayor Sadiq Khan

LONDON − His political instincts are unashamedly liberal and progressive. He is the city's first Muslim mayor and first of South Asian heritage. And he has frequently clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Democrat Zohran Mamdani won New York City's mayoral race on Nov. 4 after a campaign focused on cost of living issues such as universal childcare, eliminating fares on buses and government-subsidized grocery stores.

But the next incumbent of New York City Hall, who takes office Jan. 1, is following in the footsteps of another mayor of a major global city with an outsize reputation for a diverse economic, social and cultural life.

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Sadiq Khan has been London's mayor since 2016. He has led Britain's largest city with a left-leaning policy agenda even as the rest of the country, polls show, has moved rightward on issues such as immigration.

Mamdani and Khan do share some personal- and political-story similarities.

Both men are the sons of Muslim immigrants. Mamdani was born in Uganda, where he spent his early childhood. He was then raised in New York City and became an American citizen in 2018. He is the son of a university professor and documentary maker. Khan's parents came to the United Kingdom from Pakistan. He was born and raised in Tooting, in south London, where he still lives. His father was a bus driver and his mother a seamstress.

Neither Mamdani nor Khan has shied away from talking about the importance of their Muslim faith.

Still, Khan is not an exact match of Mamdani, though he was quick to congratulate Mamdani after his victory and draw comparisons between their respective cities and electorates. "New Yorkers faced a clear choice − between hope and fear − and just like we've seen in London − hope won," Khan said on social media.

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Khan has repeatedly pledged to make London's housing and transportation more affordable and environmentally cleaner. His critics say he has a mixed record on that and that he has let crime run rampant in London. The number of recorded crime offenses in London's capital was up by about 10% in August this year compared to the same month in 2024, according to the latest data from London's Metropolitan Police.

Mamdani has offered a more radical vision than Khan's for dealing with his city's core economic and social challenges. They also come from different generations. Khan is 55. Mamdani, 34.

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But they echo other in other ways.

Mamdani is a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and has described Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, going father than many Democrats. Months before the British government officially recognized Palestinian statehood, Khan was calling on it to do so. Khan, too, has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.