British newspaper duped by someone pretending to be former New York mayor Bill de Blasio

NEW YORK– The Times of London has apologized for running an article that falsely claimed that former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had criticized the current Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani. The British newspaper said it had been duped by someone posing as the ex-politician.

In a statement, the newspaper said it retracted the story containing the false de Blasio quotes after learning that “our reporter was misled by an individual falsely claiming to be the former mayor of New York.”

The article, published just a week before the closely watched mayoral elections, quickly attracted attention online Tuesday evening because de Blasio had been an early backer of Mamdani.

De Blasio then went to X deny the piece as “completely false and fabricated,” adding that he “never spoke to that reporter or said those things.”

Under the headline “Zohran Mamdani ally Bill de Blasio says his policies are flawed,” the piece quoted de Blasio as saying he had changed his mind on Mamdani’s agenda, which includes free buses, universal child care and a rent freeze on stabilized apartments.

The de facto de Blasio said he continues to support Mamdani, calling his vision “both necessary and achievable.”

The newspaper did not want to reveal how the interview worked. Questions to the reporter were not answered.