Elon Musk has called for Nigel Farage to be replaced as Reform UK leader, hours after Farage described the US billionaire as a "friend" and a "hero" of free speech during a BBC interview. In a post on X yesterday, Musk said Farage "doesn't have what it takes" to lead the party, following an apparent falling out between the pair over Musk's support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Musk's involvement in UK politics has intensified in recent weeks. Donald Trump's incoming efficiency czar has posted a series of messages targeting Keir Starmer and accusing him of failing to properly prosecute "rape gangs" while he was director of public prosecutions. Musk also called Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" who "deserves to be in prison".

What did the commentators say?
Musk poses "a delicate new challenge for Britain’s political leaders", said CNN. While the next general election is still years away, the tycoon "can't be entirely ignored". "The delicate nature of Starmer’s relationship with Trump may depend on keeping the billionaire at arm's length – for as long as that remains possible."

Earlier today, Starmer called out "those that are spreading lies and misinformation", but did not mention Musk by name. The "concern in No. 10 is that meeting fire with fire will only escalate the row further" at a time when "the importance of retaining good relations with Trump cannot be overstated", said The Times. The tariffs floated by Trump would do "huge damage" to Britain's economic prospects, a key priority for Starmer's government.

As Musk's volte-face on Farage this weekend demonstrates, the Tesla and X boss can be a "precarious ally". "So for now the strategy for dealing with Musk remains unchanged – to challenge him on points of fact but to avoid directly confronting him over his rhetoric."

What next?
Britain is far from Musk's "only target in Europe", said Euractiv. He met Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, "a leading figure on the radical right", in December and is set to host a conversation with the co-leader of Germany's far-right AfD party on X later this week. France could be next in his sights, said Politico, with President Emmanuel Macron reportedly "desperate to get him onside".

A US Air Force weather satellite that broke up in space just before Christmas has added a further 50 pieces to the estimated 130 million bits of "space junk" in the Earth's orbit.

The ever increasing amount of debris has heightened fears about a hypothetical phenomenon called "Kessler syndrome" that some experts say could pose a very real threat to our planet. 

What is Kessler syndrome?
The syndrome is named after US astrophysicist Donald Kessler and based on a 1978 academic paper that he wrote, but the precise definition is "muddy" and has varying interpretations, said CNN. It "broadly describes" a chain reaction scenario in which a collision "sends out a plume of fragments" that "in turn smash into other spaceborne objects", creating "more detritus". This "cascading effect" may continue until the Earth's orbit is "so clogged with junk" that it impacts everyday life.

What effect could it have?
The "scientific community hasn’t yet reached a consensus about whether the Kessler syndrome has begun, or, if it has not begun, how bad it will be when it starts", said Aerospace America magazine.

In a worse-case scenario, said the Daily Mail, a "cloud of space junk surrounding the Earth" risks "cutting off operations" for all technology that relies on satellites, such as weather forecasts, GPS and television.
A Kessler syndrome event "would affect everybody on the planet", said Paul Lynam, an astronomer at the University of California’s Lick Observatory. An "overcrowded orbital space" could also mean "our dreams of going to the Moon or further would be dashed", said the UK's National Space Centre.

What can we do about it?
Prototypes "have already been tested and missions have been scheduled" to "help clean up our orbit", said the National Space Centre. A project led by the University of Surrey successfully captured a shoebox-sized object by "smothering it in a huge net", harpooned another piece of "dummy debris" and will use a "giant membrane" to pull the object towards Earth, so it "burns up safely in our atmosphere".

The parks and woods might be looking a little barren at this time of year but there are "rich pickings to be had for keen foragers", said Fergus Collins on BBC Countryfile.

Winter is an excellent time to travel to the coast in search of sea vegetables and shellfish that "you'd pay a pretty penny for in most fishmongers".

Here are some of the foods to look out for in the wild on your next winter walk. Be sure to follow the advice of John Wright, one of the UK's most well-known foragers, who recommends consulting a "reputable guide with clear illustrations" to ensure deadly plants aren't mistaken for edible weeds.

Stinging nettles
This "highly nutritious" plant is an "all-too-familiar sight" in parks and woodland around the UK, said Sue Quinn in The Telegraph. "Tasty" and "versatile", it's packed with vitamins A and C and iron. Once cooked, it tastes "similar to spinach", with a "punchier, pleasingly ferrous flavour"; blitz it into soups, stews and pesto.

Oyster mushrooms
Found growing in "clusters" on "decaying hardwoods" throughout much of the year, these "delicious" fungi are a "forager's delight", said Pete Compston in Northern Life. Oyster mushrooms have a "mild, slightly sweet and earthy taste with a delicate texture", making them an excellent addition to risottos and stir-fries.

Mussels
Perhaps the best "protein-for-effort return of all foraged foods in the UK", mussels are well worth looking out for, said Collins on BBC Countryfile. Pick mussels only when you're certain the water is clean; the "rocky coasts" of Cornwall and Devon are "ideal". Leave the mussels to "purge themselves of any grit" in a bucket of water overnight, and steam them with butter and white wine to make moules marinières.

Justin Welby's successor needs to halve the 'upstairs church'
Emma Thompson in The Times
Justin Welby's departure as Archbishop of Canterbury today "is a critical opportunity for a reset", writes Emma Thompson. The "overriding necessity" is to appoint a "godly, unifying, humble person". The next archbishop must prioritise "the 'downstairs church'" – those "local places where people actually participate in and fund the Church" – rather than the "upstairs church" of "bishops, bureaucracy and bluster", which has become "inward-looking and detached from the parishes". 

Starmer has just months to salvage this wreck
Iain Dale in The Telegraph
As Parliament returns, Keir Starmer "finds the murky waters of the child grooming gang scandal lapping around his feet", writes Iain Dale. The issue "has the potential to topple a prime minister", so Starmer must tread carefully and avoid the "mistakes of 2024". That means "no more tax rises without a full explanation of how a tax rise will grow the economy", no more "handing the NHS £22 billion with no guarantees of improvements" and "no more new quangos".

Gen Z have ruined shopping – they are not made for customer service
Stefano Hatfield in The i Paper
"When did you last walk into a shop and feel truly valued?" writes Stefano Hatfield. "Polite, well-trained and knowledgeable staff can transform shopping trips" but "this generation of Gen Z retail assistants certainly leaves a lot to be desired". If high streets are to bounce back, they need "approachable staff, who actually care and can communicate". And "a smile, a friendly greeting and actually listening to what consumers want would be a start".