Labour needs its own Mamdani moment

Politicians offering hope rather than gloom are soaring in the polls, writes MP Nadia Whittome. If Labour cannot offer a taste, then voters will seek it elsewhere

Against the odds and his billionaire-backed opponents, Zohran Mamdani has made history as New York’s first Muslim leader.

Pundits will rightly highlight his talent as a communicator and his savvy ground campaign. But while these factors are significant, it was a democratic socialist agenda which focused on addressing the cost of living crisis, taxing the super-rich, and wealth redistribution that ultimately secured his victory. Mamdani’s messaging addressed the material needs of voters, and they paid attention.

Whether this government wants to admit it or not, these are policies which enjoy significant popular support in the UK. Instead of dismissing proposals like wealth taxes or rent controls as being either unrealistic or too good to be true, our leaders should embrace them. A convincing 75 per cent of Britons support introducing a wealth tax of one per cent on assets above £10m and two per cent on assets above £1bn. They are a blueprint to pull Labour back from the brink.

Voters are desperate for real change in their lives, but right now our government is only offering tweaks – hardly reassuring for households on the breadline or behind on their rent. From Mamdani to Zack Polanski, politicians willing to take on the status quo on both sides of the Atlantic are surging. We can’t bury our heads in the sand to this reality. With a huge parliamentary majority, Labour has the power to make bold economic reforms now, not at the next general election in a face-off with Nigel Farage’s Reform.

Yet instead, this government seems trapped in defensive politics. Chasing the Reform vote has been a failing strategy, one that has created an ugly race-to-the-bottom on issues like migration and the rights of minority groups. In contrast, Mamdani’s inclusive campaign confidently addressed topics such as Gaza, trans rights and migration. Rather than retreating from the attacks of his political opponents, he confronted these issues in a way that resonated with much of the electorate.

His emotional speech about being targeted because of his Muslim identity was addressed to the many minorities facing similar oppression in New York. At a moment when the far right is on the rise at home and globally, like Mamdani, we must be courageous in our fight for equality, demonstrating that hate will never win.

‘From Mamdani to Zack Polanski, politicians willing to take on the status quo on both sides of the Atlantic are surging. We can’t bury our heads in the sand to this reality’ (BBC/Getty)

It’s abundantly clear that the Labour Party needs its own Mamdani moment, yet instead, we are being strangled by our own undemocratic party machinery. In the UK, those currently controlling Labour selection processes would not allow a politician with Zohran’s politics to even make the shortlist as a mayoral candidate. We’ve seen time and time again progressive contenders get culled at the last minute.

For instance, last year, Faiza Shaheen, a left-leaning economist chosen by her local party to run in Chingford and Woodford Green, was dropped by the national party over her social media activity. In 2022, Maurice McLeod, a Labour councillor and anti-racism activist, was blocked from running to be the candidate for Camberwell and Peckham for liking a tweet from a Green MP.

Closer to my home city, Greg Marshall, a Broxtowe borough councillor for Beeston West in Nottinghamshire, was barred from standing for a parliamentary seat. This was despite his strong commitment to both the community and the Labour Party, along with support from eight unions at the time. Sadly, there are many more cases like this.

For all the deep flaws in the American political system and the Democratic Party, the existence of primaries has allowed popular candidates like Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to break through. Right now, the Labour Party won’t even allow local members the true choice in who they want as their candidate. There are many talented, democratic socialists in the UK who would make fantastic representatives. If our party is determined to block them, they will end up running against us and not for us.

Now, just a few weeks out from the next Budget, this government has one of its last chances to prove whose side they’re on and deliver the kind of Mamdani-style wealth redistribution that voters are crying out for. Rachel Reeves has already suggested tax rises are coming, but voters will not forgive us if these fall on working people, while billionaire fortunes balloon.

While wealth taxes aren’t a silver bullet, no excuse is good enough for not implementing them as inequality grows, pushing more people into poverty. According to Tax Justice UK, a range of tax policies targeting the rich and large corporations could raise £60bn a year. This is money that could fund our communities, save our high streets and make life more affordable for millions of households.

When the 50 richest families in our country hold more wealth than half the population combined and billionaire wealth has gone up 1000 per cent since 1990, while our wages stagnate, something has gone profoundly wrong. We’re living in an economy where we pay more and get less, while corporate profits seem to soar. A politics that fails to confront this reality, that refuses to challenge the flow of wealth upwards, is destined to lose.

To rebuild trust with voters, we must offer them policies that tackle the struggles they face every day. That means taxing wealth, investing in public services and councils, building social housing, and improving workers’ rights and pay, while at the same time proudly defending our diversity and rights, which are constantly under attack from the far right. If we fail to offer these solutions, we will inevitably lose votes to those who will.