One Direction Release Music Video for Comic Relief

David Cameron is to appear in a music video with Anglo-Irish boy band One Direction to raise money for Comic Relief.

The UK prime minister has a cameo role in the video for the pop group's Comic Relief single - a cover version medley of Blondie's One Way or Another and the Undertones' Teenage Kicks.

His cameo is being kept under wraps until the single is released on Monday 18 February.

One Direction visited Downing Street to film part of the official Red Nose Day music video at the end of last year and Cameron made a brief appearance.

The government said it would cover the cost of VAT on sales of the single from the overseas development budget, making "a charitable donation that will be the equivalent of the VAT".

David Cameron isn't the first political figure to appear in a music or comedy video for good causes.

Former prime minister Tony Blair starred alongside comic Catherine Tate for the charity fundraiser in the last months of his premiership in 2007.

His successor Gordon Brown appeared in a comedy sketch with James Corden and boy band JLS in 2011 - after he was voted out of office in the 2010 general election.

Comic Relief has raised £800 million since 1985 to help alleviate poverty.

The brand new track also shows footage of the band on tour in New York, Japan and London.

There are clips of the boys visiting Africa to see how previous funds raised through Red Nose Day have helped transform people's lives.

The band's trip to Africa shows Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson visiting a hospital to meet sick babies who have illnesses that could have been prevented by a simple vaccination.

Some of the film aired on Saturday 16 February in the UK, as part of BBC One's Let's Dance for Comic Relief. The show is repeated in the UK on BBC Three at 7pm GMT on Sunday 17 February, and is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.

The video of the single will be available to watch on Vevo from Thursday 21 February.

Earlier this week, Niall topped a poll to be named dream Valentine's Day husband.

One Direction are worth a multi-million pound fortune, with the potential to earn far more.

Their management are said to have tried to advise them on how to manage their financial assets, but so far only Louis Tomlinson, 21, and Niall Horan, 19, are said to have accepted help from professional accountants.

"They were all told that investing in property would be a wise move," said a source.

Lucrative endorsements include soft drinks and beauty products.

An industry expert said: "One Direction charge a minimum of £7.5million to become the face of a product.

"They've got millions of fans and they're the biggest group in the world so they can pretty much name their price."