Idris Elba sparks debate with his latest single 'Knives Down'!

British actor, musician and advocate for change Idris Elba has sparked debate with his latest single 'Knives Down'. As the UK icon continues his campaign against youth violence, he has joined forces with talented rapper DB Maz, Fraser T Smith and FaNaTiX to create a powerful new track with a strong message to parliament.

This track represents the frustration and anger towards the government for their inaction on knife crime, and urges Parliament to take action, having neglected addressing the issue for far too long. Idris wants to give a voice to those who have been impacted the most, and has featured families of victims in the official music video which see's him hold a debate in the House of Commons.

The release of 'Knives Down' also marks the launch of Elba’s 'Don’t Stop Your Future' campaign, which aims to bring the issue of serious youth violence to the top of the political agenda. This week Parliament Square was filled with neatly folded last outfits from each victim of 2023, highlighting the issue to the government in a visually hard-hitting way.

‘Don’t Stop Your Future’ works with community grassroots organisations to put an end to knife crime and amplifies the voices of marginalised communities and those most affected. The initiative will offer clear and achievable solutions to the government, with Idris specifically calling for Parliament to:

• Urgently prioritise the long-awaited ban on zombie knives and machetes, and to crack down on the supply chains which bring them to UK streets.

• Invest in youth services to tackle the underlying causes of serious youth violence and support young people to achieve the bright future they deserve.

• Convene a Coalition to End Knife Crime, a cross-party, cross-governmental working group that brings together stakeholders who have a role to play in tackling this issue including relevant Government departments, grassroots organisations, sporting bodies and young people.

We hope to see the change required, and will offer our support in any way possible to the campaign and to those who are most effected by the issues.