The prime minister’s official spokesman said there were no plans to change the law under which a museum can only dispose of objects in its collection in very limited circumstances. However, he could decide to lend part of the collection to Greece. The British Museum has said it wants a “new Parthenon partnership with Greece” but that it is operating within the law “and we are not going to dismantle our great collection as it tells a unique story of our shared humanity”. Former chancellor George Osborne, president of the British Museum, has been in talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis since November 2021 about the possible return of the sculptures, according to Greek newspaper Ta Nea. However, Sunak’s official spokesman said: “We have no plans to change the legislation, which prevents objects from being removed from the British Museum’s collection, except in certain circumstances. “Our position on this has not changed. Decisions about the care and management of collections are a matter for the museum and its trustees. The Parthenon sculptures are legally owned by the trustees and functionally independent of the government.” The marbles – which decorated the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis of Athens – were taken by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman empire, and have been the subject of a long-running dispute over where they should be displayed. As well as the marble controversy, in recent weeks the Horniman Museum in south London returned looted bronzes from Benin City in Nigeria and the Wellcome Collection closed its Medicine Man gallery because it “perpetuates a version of medical history based on racist, sexist and competent theories and language’. Downing Street said the public would “vote with their feet” if they disliked museums removing controversial items from their collections. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “I am cautious about commenting on how particular museums should present their collections. I think it’s rightfully an issue for them,” the spokesman said. “Clearly they will need to justify any decisions made to the public and the public will judge by voting with their feet whether they think they have got the balance right.”
