UK has ‘large alternative’ to be world’s first ‘house sheriff’ for the brand new ‘wild west’

George Freeman the former Tory science minister under Boris Johnson reckons the UK could one day become the police force of the stars and prevent it becoming a wild west

Britain is being called on to train the world’s first “space sheriff”.

George Freeman, the MP for Mid Norfolk who was minister for science, research, technology and innovation under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, warns space is fast becoming a wild west. He says it is vital the UK leads the way in saddling up our rockets and blasting a force of Star Cops into the cosmos.

He reckons Britain is best placed to lead the way in policing the stars due to our world-leading track record in science and reputation for being an international good egg.

He declared: “Space needs a global regulatory alliance led by and headquartered in a trusted nation.

“You need a country that’s got a long and distinguished history as a trusted partner – that believes in and is respected internationally for its legal system and is connected to financial markets and international courts and jurisdiction.

“This is a huge opportunity for the UK. We should seize it.”

Experts warn space junk, mineral mining, spacecraft crashes and space tourism being led by the likes of Elon Musk and Richard Branson will all need to be policed and regulated.

Mr Freeman’s vision for a British-led space force has been featured in shows and movies such as Star Cops.

The UK sci-fi drama was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1987.

Devised by Chris Boucher – a writer who worked on Doctor Who and Blake’s 7 – it was set in 2027 and starred David Calder as Nathan Spring, commander of the International Space Police Force, nicknamed the ‘Star Cops’.

One company, meanwhile, is trying to find ways of mining minerals in space. The Calfiornia-based company AstroForge is taking “baby steps” to start mining in the stars.

A pacecraft named ‘Odin’ was launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US in February at a cost of around £5.1million. Odin, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, completed its planned mission to pass by the Moon, but then developed communication problems as it floated off into deep space.

“Yes, there are a lot more baby steps to take,” AstroForge founder Matt Gialich told the BBC. “But we’re going to start to actually do it. You have to try.”

Previously, space boffin and renowned astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson predicted the world’s first ever trillionaire will come from space mining.

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