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Parthenon sculptures deal ‘still some distance’ away, says Osborne
Comments come as Keir Starmer meets Greek PM in Downing Street for first time
The British Museum and the Greek government are “still some distance” from agreeing a deal on the future of the Parthenon sculptures, the museum’s chairman George Osborne has said.
The contested objects have been back in the spotlight this week as prime minister Keir Starmer received his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Downing Street for the first time since the new UK Government was elected.
The meeting came a year after former prime minister Rishi Sunak sparked a diplomatic row when he cancelled a meeting with Mitsotakis over comments made by the Greek leader about the sculptures.
A Downing Street spokesperson said this week that the future of the marbles is “entirely up to” the British Museum.
The museum has been in talks with Greek officials for some time over a deal that would see the sculptures shared with Athens in exchange for rotating loans of other ancient Greek treasures.
Number 10 said the artefacts would not be on the agenda for the meeting, but a senior Greek government official told reporters afterwards that Mitsotakis had raised the issue with Starmer. The official said: “We welcome the fact that the British government will not stand in the way if there is an agreement with the British Museum.”
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A further briefing from an anonymous Greek official earlier this week hinted that the two parties were “close” to a deal.
However, Osborne has tempered expectations of an imminent deal, saying on his Political Currency podcast that the two parties had “made a lot of progress” but were “still some distance from any kind of agreement”.
Osborne, who was joining the podcast from New York, said: “I would be in London if we were on the verge of reaching an agreement with Greece around the Parthenon sculptures.”
However he commended Starmer’s approach to the issue, saying: "Keir Starmer has said this is very much a matter for the trustees of the British Museum, who are independent of the government.
"And, so it's not the same as Rishi Sunak, who refused to see the Greek Prime Minister… he sort of stood him up. So it seems to be a more sensible and diplomatic way to proceed."
The British Museum is due to begin a major redevelopment of its Western Range in 2025, including the Duveen Gallery where the sculptures are housed.