Eric Adams sworn in as mayor of New York City

The Democrat, a former police officer, has promised to welcome business and to focus on rising crime

New York City's new mayor, Eric Adams, was sworn into office soon after midnight yesterday. It was a fitting time of day for a cop-turned-politico who has indicated that he plans to return some personal panache to a metropolis knocked by a pandemic, political strife and an outgoing mayor whose polling ranks beneath even Donald Trump with state voters.

For the moment, Adams's administration is, as one acquaintance put it, in the ether". The Democrat told the city council last week: We must allow our city to function. We have thrown $11bn at Covid, so the day has come when we need to learn to be smarter."