Rishi Sunak rules out return of Elgin Marbles to Athens as Downing Street hits back at Greek PM’s claim keeping them in Britain is like ‘cutting the Mona Lisa in half’

Rishi Sunak will rule out a possible return of the Elgin Marbles to Athens if he meets the Greek Prime Minister this week, Downing Street suggested today.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s visit to London, during which he is expected to meet with both Mr Sunak and Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer, has seen a fresh row over the artefacts.

Also known as the Parthenon sculptures, the Elgin Marbles have been the subject of a 200-year-old dispute over ownership between Athens and London.

In his push to return them to Greece, Mr Mitsotakis has claimed keeping the sculptures at the British Museum is artistic vandalism akin to cutting the Mona Lisa painting in half.

But No10 today rejected the Greek PM’s remarks and pushed back at any suggestion that legal ownership of the marbles could be transferred to Athens.

Rishi Sunak will rule out a possible return of the Elgin Marbles to Athens if he meets the Greek Prime Minister this week, Downing Street suggested

Also known as the Parthenon sculptures, the Elgin Marbles have been the subject of a 200-year-old dispute over ownership between Athens and London 

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s visit to London, during which he is expected to meet with both Mr Sunak and Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer, has seen a fresh row over the artefacts 

The Greek PM claimed keeping the sculptures at the British Museum is artistic vandalism akin to cutting the Mona Lisa painting in half

Asked if the PM recognised Mr Mitsotakis’s comparison between the sculptures and a divided Mona Lisa, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: ‘Obviously it’s not something we would agree with.

‘These were legally acquired at the time, they’re legally owned by the trustees of the museum.

‘We support that position and there’s no plan to change the law which governs it’.

He added: ‘We have a long-standing position, I think the PM’s on the record that the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum were legally acquired under the laws at the time. They’re legally owned by the trustees of the British Museum.

‘We fully support this position, indeed the British Museum Act prohibits the removal of objects from the museum’s collection. We have no plans to change the law.’

The spokesman said Mr Sunak has been ‘robust’ in his view that the marbles are a ‘significant asset’ to the UK which has ‘safeguarded’ the treasures.

‘We have cared for the marbles for generations and our position is we want that to continue,’ they added.

‘The world comes to the UK regularly to see the marbles and there are no plans to change that or to change the law.’

George Osborne, the ex-Tory chancellor who is now chairman of the British Museum’s board of trustees, is currently pursuing a deal to temporarily return the marbles to Greece.

In a recent speech, Mr Osborne expressed his hope that an agreement could be reached with Athens that would see the sculptures sent back on loan to Greece in exchange for ‘other treasures’ coming to Britain.

The Elgin Marbles were made between 447BC and 432BC and decorated the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.

Lord Elgin removed about half of the remaining sculptures from the ruins of the Parthenon between 1801 and 1805, before they entered the British Museum.

Mr Mitsotakis has said he will raise the issue during meetings with Mr Sunak and Sir Keir in London this week.

Asked where the sculptures should be, Mr Mitsotakis told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: ‘I think the answer is very clear.

‘They do look better in the Acropolis Museum, a state-of-the-art museum that was built for that purpose.’

The Greek PM added: ‘This is not in my mind an ownership question, this is a reunification argument, where can you best appreciate what is essentially one monument?

‘I mean, it’s as if I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in half, and you will have half of it at the Louvre and half of it at the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting in such a way?

‘Well, this is exactly what happened with the Parthenon sculptures and that is why we keep lobbying for a deal that would essentially be a partnership between Greece and the British Museum but would allow us to return the sculptures to Greece and have people appreciate them in their original setting.’

The Financial Times reported that Sir Keir will tell Mr Mitsotakis that Labour will not change the law regarding the marbles if they win power at the general election.

One person close to the Labour leader told the newspaper: ‘We’re sticking with the existing law, but if a loan deal that is mutually acceptable to the British Museum and the Greek government can be agreed, we won’t stand in the way.’

The 1963 British Museum Act prevents the institution giving away objects from its collection except in very limited circumstances.

A British Museum spokesperson said: ‘Discussions with Greece about a Parthenon Partnership are on-going and constructive.

‘We believe that this kind of long term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum.’

Source: Read Full Article