Idris Elba and Keir Starmer to launch coalition against knife crime

The coalition will bring together families, campaigners, young people and the police

Idris Elba and Sir Keir Starmer are due to launch a new effort to tackle knife crime (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

Hollywood actor Idris Elba is due to launch a new campaign alongside Sir Keir Starmer as part of an effort to tackle knife crime.

Elba, an anti-knife crime campaigner, will join the prime minister at Downing Street on Monday morning as he launches the coalition which aims to stop young people from being dragged into violent gangs.

It aims to bring together campaign groups, families of people who have lost their lives to knife crime, and young people who have been affected by it – as well as Elba and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Technology companies, sporting organisations, the NHS and the police are involved in what is expected to the first annual knife crime summit.

The actor and the prime minister have previously met with victims of knife crime during the general election campaign (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The coalition will work with experts to develop an understanding of what causes young people to be dragged into knife crime.

“We need to tackle the root causes of knife crime, not just the symptoms,” said Elba.

He added: “The coalition is a positive step toward rehabilitating our communities from the inside out.”

The prime minister is expected to share how personal the task is for him, drawing on his legal career.

Ahead of the gathering, Sir Keir 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.”

Idris Elba and Sir Keir Starmer hope to bring together families, campaigners, sporting communities and the police (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Ministers have taken steps to ban so-called ninja swords and plan to strengthen the laws around the online sales of knives.

Commander Stephen Clayman, the national policing lead for knife crime, has been tasked with leading a rapid review to understand how these weapons are sold online and delivered to under 18s, and to close loopholes in the law.

He will report back to the home secretary by the end of the year.

Ms Cooper said: “Getting weapons off our streets and making sure there are tough and clear consequences for violence are vital.

“And we also need to prevent young people heading down this path – that means offering young people more hope, more opportunities.”

Today’s announcement is the first step in the government’s 10-year plan to tackle knife crime, which will be central to its mission to keep our streets safe.