George Osborne is negotiating a “reciprocal loan deal” with the Greek government to finally resolve the longstanding dispute with Athens over the future of the Elgin Marbles.
Under an agreement being pursued by the former chancellor, now the chairman of the British Museum, the marbles would return to Greece on a long-term loan deal.
In return, Athens would agree to provide the museum with revolving displays of other ancient Greek artefacts, many of which have never been shown in the UK. Critically, the deal would not involve the British Museum giving up its legal ownership of the sculptures, which would require a change in the law.
The plan is for the agreement to come into effect when parts of the British Museum close for refurbishment later this decade as part of planned redevelopment of the Bloomsbury site in London. However, sources stressed that no deal had been completed and an announcement was not imminent.
Osborne, the former chancellor, has been the chairman of the British Museum since 2021
DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE BRITISH MUSEUM
The sculptures came from friezes on the 2,500-year-old Parthenon and were acquired by Lord Elgin from the Ottomans in 1801. They were bought by the nation in 1816 and have been displayed at the British Museum for more than 200 years. But Greece has been demanding their return for decades amid a highly politicised debate in both countries.
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Hopes that a deal might be struck were raised last year after the new Labour government made clear it would not stand in the way of a deal to return the sculptures to their original home.
The prime minister’s spokesman said that the “care and management” of the sculptures was a matter for the British Museum, opening the way for a long-term loan deal that would not require explicit government approval. The spokesman added that the only red line for the government was any suggestion of formally ceding ownership of the marbles to Greece, which would require a change in the law.
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Earlier this year Osborne was appointed to a second five-year term as the museum’s chairman, giving him scope to conclude the negotiations with Athens.
However, museum officials denied reports that a deal had already been done, insisting the talks were still some way off reaching a conclusion.
Downing Street has denied suggestions of an imminent deal over the marbles
MIKE KEMP/IN PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES
The Critic magazine reported that Osborne had agreed to give the Elgin Marbles to Greece as part of a permanent loan deal. Its report added that since the Greek government still claimed legal ownership of the sculptures, it was “extremely unlikely that they would ever return to Britain”.
The museum said that story was completely wrong, adding that the talks had not moved on since late last year when Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, discussed the issue with Sir Keir Starmer.
Downing Street also denied suggestions of an imminent deal. “It remains the case that decisions relating to the management of the Parthenon sculptures are a matter for the trustees of the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the government,” a No 10 spokesman said. “We have no plans to change the law that would allow the permanent loan of the Elgin Marbles.”
But any deal — even a loan — would prove controversial. Asked about a potential deal, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said she had “never been someone who thought we should send the Elgin Marbles back”.
A Greek official involved in the talks with the British Museum told The Times last year that any agreement would have to involve a section of the marbles being transferred to their Athenian place of origin for an “extended period; not 50 or 100 years, nor one or two years”.