London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said that he and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have exchanged messages and are keen to work together, adding that both leaders “have a challenge in President Trump to deal with.”
His comments were made in a new interview in which he discussed the issues facing both cities and the political complications both mayors are navigating.
Khan’s remarks came as he highlighted the cost of living crisis and the housing crisis as the two major pressures confronting London and New York. He said both mayors were committed to helping residents deal with rising costs and strained housing markets, while also acknowledging that Trump poses an added difficulty for each of their administrations.
In the interview, published by the U.K. paper Metro on January 21, Khan was asked whether he plans to meet Mamdani. He did not confirm any arrangements but said the two leaders had already been in touch.
“We will have to wait and see. We’re both very busy being mayors of great cities,” he said.
He added that the pair have been in communication.
“We’ve messaged, of course,” he told Metro. “And we are keen to work together on any issues we can. We both face cost-of-living challenges, similar challenges in relation to addressing the housing crisis and we’re both trying to help residents of our cities in terms of addressing those issues.”
Khan, 55 and approaching the halfway point of his third term, also noted that both he and Mamdani are dealing with the challenges posed by Trump.
“We both have a challenge in President Trump to deal with, but I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together,” he said.
He stressed that cooperation between cities matters even when national politics are tense.
“I’m a believer in collaboration rather than competition, so let’s see what happens in New York,” the Labour Party politician said.
Despite the serious subjects, Khan also joked about his American counterpart.
“Zohran is young, charismatic, good looking, so I hate him, obviously,” Khan told Metro.
Khan’s comments suggest the two mayors are open to collaboration on shared urban problems, even if no meeting has yet been scheduled. For now, Khan says both remain focused on running their cities while keeping in touch about the issues they hope to address together.
He had previously called Trump “racist” and “Islamophobic” in response to Trump telling the U.N. that the U.K. capital had a “terrible, terrible mayor” whose city is embracing “Sharia law.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House, Mamdani and Khan for comment via email on Thursday.