London - A British newspaper of record deleted an article - billed as an exclusive interview with former New York mayor Bill de Blasio criticizing Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy for the mayoralty - after learning that the quotes were fabricated by a trickster.

The article, which published Tuesday in the Times of London, cited de Blasio - one of the first high-profile Democratic figures to endorse Mamdani - as saying he lauded the candidate for his “admirable” ambition but said his economic policies were unworkable, suggesting de Blasio was distancing himself from the socialist after deeper consideration. It was headlined: “Zohran Mamdani ally Bill de Blasio says his policies ‘don’t add up.’”

Around 90 minutes after it published, de Blasio said the article was “entirely false and fabricated.

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