Idris Elba is releasing a rap track to raise money for knife crime charities.

The 'Luther' star has recorded a video in East London for the single 'Knife Bill', which sees him take aim at politicians for their lack of action on the issue.

Idris has been calling for harsher measures against knife crime after 15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed to death in the city in September.

The 51-year-old actor, who was born in the London borough of Hackney, wrote on social media: "It is a shame our country still mourns the deaths of children at the hands of knives.

"We NEED to enforce tougher deterrents and punishments to those carrying weapons."

The charities that will benefit from 'Knife Bill' include The Ben Kinsella Trust, Lives Not Knives and The Jodie Chesney Foundation.

A spokesman for The Ben Kinsella Trust said: "Idris's decision to donate to the Trust is a powerful statement about his commitment to tackling knife crime.

"He is a role model for young people, and his support will help us to reach more of them with our message of prevention."

Idris previously discussed his aim to end knife crime in the UK by getting youngsters involved in boxing in his TV series 'Idris Elba's Fight School'.

He said: "I was just like, 'Wow, I would love to experiment [with] that discipline'... I've got this real passion to fight knife crime. I think it's a really, really dangerous, bad thing that's happening in our country and it's avoidable.

"[It's about] finding ways to shift that energy, that anger, that sense of loss, that sense of bewilderment. You come from a neighbourhood, there's not much around there for you, so you carry a knife, you feel part of a gang.

"Well, with boxing, when you're in the gym, you're in a gang. You're in a group with a bunch of people who are like-minded and you all put the work in, and when one person fights, you all fight, and that's what that feeling is."