Jo Cox Foundation charity single planned featuring parliamentary rock group

Murdered MP Jo Cox's memorial fund, the Jo Cox Foundation, is to get a boost by a charity single set to be recorded by a group of MPs and pop stars. The song, You Can't Always Get What You Want, which was originally recorded by The Rolling Stones, will be recorded on Thursday (17 November) at the Backstage Centre in Thurrock, alongside with the Thurrock community choir.

A host of stars will join Kevin Brennan, Sir Greg Knight, Pete Wishart and Ian Cawsey – otherwise known as the "world's only parliamentary rock group", MP4 to record the song, as well as other politicians.

KT Tunstall, David Gray, Ricky Wilson and the original "Cockney Rebel" Steve Harley, will be produced by the self-styled "original smooth operator" Robin Millar, who produced soul sensation, Sade among others.

Speaking to the Observer, Millar confirmed: "The team, led by Kevin [Brennan], who is [a] shadow culture minister, has the full support of the Jo Cox Foundation, and wants the maximum exposure for the event next Thursday and for the single release next year.

"Twenty-five MPs from across the political spectrum will also attend and join in the choir to reflect Jo Cox's campaigning for Better Together, which asserts that more unites genuine politicians than divides them."

Jo Cox was killed outside her constituency surgery in Birstall near Leeds, in July this year, just a week before the EU referendum.

Thomas Mair is due to stand trial for her murder, beginning on Monday (November 14).

The case will be treated as a terrorist trial because the attack is thought to have been carried out with the "purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause", as defined by the Terrorism Act 2000.

Days before her death, Cox wrote an impassioned defence of immigration calling for voters in the then-upcoming election to back the UK remaining a member of the EU.

The chosen song has more recently been associated with the presidential campaign of President-elect, Donald Trump, although the veteran rockers banned him from using it.

Though Millar said the collective was aware of the song's more recent, unwelcome connotations, he hoped they would be able to reappropriate it in Cox's name.