Idris Elba joins UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for new anti-knife crime coalition

Actor and musician Idris Elba is joining British prime minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper today to launch a new coalition to tackle knife crime among young people.

Officially titled the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, the organisation will involve campaign groups, the Elba Hope Foundation, young people and community leaders, as well as the families of people affected by knife crime.

The coalition will also include tech companies, sports groups, and representatives from the NHS, education sector, and the police.

Ahead of today’s meeting, which is set to be the first annual knife crime summit, Elba said that “we need to tackle the root causes of knife crime, not just the symptoms.”

He described the coalition as a "positive step toward rehabilitating our communities from the inside out".

Starmer said: “As director of public prosecutions, I saw first-hand the devastating impact that knife crime has on young people and their families. This is a national crisis that we will tackle head on.”

“We will take this moment to come together as a country – politicians, families of victims, young people themselves, community leaders and tech companies – to halve knife crime and take back our streets,” he added.

The government hopes to halve knife crime over the next 10 years and is currently in the process of banning ninja swords, as well as strengthening the law on online knife sales. So-called zombie knifes - bladed weapons inspired by zombie films and TV series that have been increasingly linked to violent crimes and gang use - have already been outlawed in the UK.

Cooper described the coalition as "crucial" and promised: "We will not sit back while precious lives are being lost and young people's futures destroyed."

Current legislation bans the sale of knives to under 18s but there is concern that the law is not sufficiently enforced, especially with regards to age checks online.