Labour pours cold water on giving Elgin Marbles to Greece
In the first public intervention on the issue, Sir Chris Bryant, the arts minister, said that the best Britain could offer Greece was a 'temporary' agreement.
He made clear that legal protections for artefacts under UK law 'puts paid' to any idea of a permanent deal for the marbles.
The Greek government has been locked in talks with the British Museum for a solution to the diplomatic dispute over the 2,500-year-old artworks.
But they have reached an impasse, as the Greeks will not accept a loan deal because they contend that the marbles were stolen from Athens, while the museum chairman George Osborne is bound by British law not to give any collection items away.
A 'bespoke' deal, neither a standard loan nor a total change of legal ownership, had been suggested as a way for the marbles to be returned to Greece for an indefinite period.
Sir Chris has now insisted that under Sir Keir Starmer's Government, the best Greece can hope for is a short-term deal, which would by its very nature be unacceptable to the Greek negotiators handling talks for Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minster.
Speaking during a debate at the Palace of Westminster Great Committee Room on the issue of the Marbles, he said: 'Under existing law it would be impossible for there to be a permanent or indefinite loan.
He added that UK law would demand that 'items are returned', and made it clear that this 'puts paid' to any talk of permanent deal for the Marbles.
The law that governs the operation of the British Museum is the British Museum Act 1963, which stipulates that trustees must retain treasures for the public, and ensure all loans are temporary.
The maximum period permitted for a loan, under regulations for export licences, is three years, a period that would be unacceptable to Athens.
Sir Chris said the Labour Government had no intention of changing the law to permit repatriation.
His intervention, the first on the issue since Labour won the 2024 General Election, comes following renewed calls for a Marbles deal.
Alberto Costa, the Tory MP for South Leicestershire, told The Telegraph this week that Britain should consider returning the Marbles as a matter of national interest.
Greece has floated the idea of a 'win-win' partnership with the UK, which would result in the Marbles being returned to Athens, in exchange for a rotating treasure grove of ancient Greek artefacts that could fill national and local museums in Britain.
Objects that could be offered to Britain include the Mycenaean gilt Mask of Agamemnon, and the Jockey of Artemision, a large bronzework depicting a boy riding a horse.
Mr Costa has urged Greece to table a proposal that would excite and benefit the British public, and possibly waive the £17 entry fee for the Acropolis Museum, where the Marbles would be held following any hypothetical deal.
He said: 'Greece could show goodwill towards British citizens by allowing British citizens free access to view the marbles in their new purpose-built home.
'This proposal is not about emptying the British Museum. It's about restoring a set of uniquely significant artefacts to their original context.'
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Metro
14 minutes ago
- Metro
The disability employment gap affects 16million of us - can the goverment fix it
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Times
15 minutes ago
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Times letters: PM's backing for a third runway at Heathrow
Write to letters@ Sir, Your leading article ('Cleared for Takeoff', Aug 1) and the cogently argued business commentary by Alistair Osborne ('Heathrow runway is an expensive folly', Aug 1) both admit that Heathrow should not be there in the first place. Indeed, and if one is in a hole any sensible reaction would be to stop digging. We all know that the costs of £21 billion for the runway and £12 billion on top of that for another terminal will end up hugely inflated, and that the upgrades necessary for transportation to and from Heathrow will incur further enormous expenditure. Sooner or later there will be a catastrophe when an aircraft crashes on London, made all the more likely when power failures and control systems can cause such mayhem. Ministers' lip service to environmental considerations is further exposed as James Stevens CurlHolywood, Co Down Sir, You report that 'work is under way within the government to curb the ability of environmental groups and other campaigners to bring legal challenges against national infrastructure projects' ('M25 could be relocated 'overnight' to build a third Heathrow runway', Aug 1). One can only wonder what Labour would have said had the Conservatives tried to bring in such HartRickmansworth, Herts Sir, Old campaigners against a third runway at Heathrow will now have to dust off their posters and letters of protest: clearly we are all going to have to go through the old arguments again. Nothing appears to have happened to change the Department for Transport's own study. This suggested that if more airport capacity were really needed then on both economic and environmental grounds it should be at McLuskeyAshford, Middx Sir, Proposals for a third runway at Heathrow and another at Gatwick are misguided. The skies over southeast England are already overcrowded and new runways will simply increase the problem. The answer is to build a five-runway, state-of-the-art airport in the Thames Estuary, with fast rail links. This would serve our needs for the next century. Heathrow and Gatwick could then be closed down, freeing up land for much-needed PrattStorrington, W Sussex Sir, It astounds me that whenever the disruption and cost of expanding Heathrow is discussed there is never any mention of Birmingham airport. It is located in a relatively unpopulated area with a mainline rail station and good public access: it is next to motorway links and is about an hour from the capital by car or train. But of course, it's not London — silly JohnsonWolverhampton Sir, I wonder if my children will have retired by the time the third runway at Heathrow is operational? In China, or indeed France, the planning and construction would be rapidly accomplished. No one would expect that in the ValePewsey, Wilts Sir, Having seen the PM's plans for a third runway at Heathrow, perhaps Sir Humphrey should whisper in his ear: 'Remember HS2.'Martin WrightChinnor, Oxon Sir, Italians will be aware that most of the projects Edward Lucas praises in his article were actually initiated before 2022, the year Giorgia Meloni became prime minister ('Confident Italy shows us how to bounce back', comment, Jul 31). She inherited a €198 billion loan from the EU, which I suspect Rachel Reeves would welcome and do good things with. If Lucas were to come further south on holiday he would find unemployment in the eight provinces of southern Italy 10 per cent higher than the richer north that he visited. A total of 18.9 per cent of Italians live in poverty, and the figure is increasing. GDP per capita has not increased since Meloni became PM and government debt as a share of GDP has increased under her Gozi MEPFormer Italian secretary of state for European Affairs Sir, Edward Lucas's overenthusiastic assessment of Italy's thriving and booming economy overlooks the simple and very sad fact that Italy still offers very few opportunities for young people, even those with university degrees. They find it easier to find a job in a café in London than in Milan or Rome. It's still pretty impossible to get a position at an Italian university if one lacks a powerful backer. Bright scientists and academics instead flock to the US or the UK. Nasa, for example, has many Italians working there as do many Ivy League universities, as well as Oxford and Salvatore Santagati (PhD, LSE)London W1 Sir, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Rees-Mogg may have better luck than my wife (TMS, Jul 31). A couple of years ago my wife was dropping off a bag for her brother at the Cavalry and Guards Club. The doorman took one look at the jeans she was wearing and before she could say a word politely pointed out that the RAF Club was next door.J Martin ScottShaftesbury, Dorset Sir, The fall in numbers of students studying modern languages is indeed dire (news, Jul 31; letter, Aug 1). I agree with Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute that the withdrawal of the compulsory study of languages was 'probably the worst educational policy of this century'. A wider grasp of the heritage of Europe (and at degree level, training in cogently assembling a wide range of facts) is useful in many professions. Megan Bowler is right that a 'linguistic mindset fosters vital skills'. Indeed, many of my students leave university for successful careers in journalism and the law and are destined for the higher echelons of management and government. We will not re-establish meaningful relationships with our neighbours with the 'island mentality' that, at present, inhibits those in secondary education from an understanding of the cultural infrastructure and substratum of Bourne-TaylorAssociate professor of French, and fellow, Brasenose College, Oxford Sir, I have no doubt that AI has a part to play in making prisons safer ('AI predicts risk from violent inmates before jail attacks happen', Jul 31) but removing drugs from jails by using drug wands, sniffer boxes and DroneGuard, while disabling mobile phones and reducing overcrowding, will have a greater effect. Tasers will have an impact during riots and concerted acts of indiscipline but not on immediate acts of violence as they won't be to hand. The most effective way to reduce the risk of violence is by staff developing good relationships with prisoners. Inexperienced staff in overcrowded prisons are merely BerryRet'd prison governor, Countesthorpe, Leics Sir, Martin Samuel is right ('Rushing this Test series off stage has robbed it of the players we pay to see', Aug 1). Test matches — the pinnacle of the sport — are being wrecked by the thoughtless compression of scheduling and now we will have no cricket for a month, all to make room for a spectacle said to be crowd-pleasing and money-making, although it is curious that no other cricketing nation has shown the remotest interest in the Hundred. The ECB has done a fine job of destroying our national DykeLondon N21 Sir, I agree with David A De Saxe (letter, Aug 1) that modern bats improve batting. But surely the main reason batting has improved is the use of helmets, which enable batsmen to face fast bowling without risk of serious EvansTunbridge Wells, Kent Sir, Contrary to Raymond Gubbay's suggestion ('Albert Hall seats', letter, Jul 31), the National Lottery were on the ball. Like all seat holders, while I did gain from the lottery funding improvements I was obliged to pay a proportionate share of the GilbertMarlow, Bucks Sir, Aside from pay erosion, the incentives for resident doctors to change tack career-wise are well described (letters, Jul 28–31), but there is a new one. Why wouldn't a recently qualified doctor with a huge student debt and possibly a young family consider switching to one of the new physician assistant roles? The pay is considerably better, the post comes with job security and comprehensive senior medical supervision, and there is no need for regular exams or to move around the country every couple of years while working nights and weekends as a matter of routine. That is regardless of the intense work pressure endured by these young resident doctors daily, hundreds of whom are now finding that there are no NHS jobs for them anyway after their first two years of hospital practice (news, Jul 30). The only downside is that the NHS would soon run out of GPs and hospital RP ColeNHS consultant surgeon, Salisbury Sir, Katie Glass raises hopes for many in making a few quid from renting her home ('I'm sleeping in a caravan so I can put my cottage on Airbnb', Times2, Jul 28). Potential followers of her advice would be well advised to check with local planning requirements and their home insurance policy before proceeding. Such moves may be below the radar but not above the planning HoweRhossili, Gower Peninsula Sir, Every good wish to the new Archbishop of Wales ('Church elects gay, female archbishop', Jul 31). As well as being informed of her employment history and views on sexuality, I'm sure some of us would be glad to know whether she speaks CorkettBangor, Gwynedd Sir, My Uncle Charlie worked on the Cowes chain ferry in the 1950s and had an index and middle finger missing (letter, Aug 1). As he explained: 'I was trying to pick a stray fag packet out of the chains while we were crossing the river. I just thought I could do it, quick like.' I relayed this story to the newly promoted chain ferry master when I met him in the 1980s. 'Oh yes?', he said, holding up his three- digit right hand. 'You mean like this?'Suzie MarwoodLondon SW6 Sir, I can definitely support the theory of ditching a flashy car for a small hatchback to woo women (news, Jul 31). I owned an MG Midget in the 1960s and had no luck in attracting the right sort of woman, but on the day I swapped it for a Hillman Imp I met the woman who is now my wife. We are still happily married RussellHarpenden, Herts Write to letters@
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
British families of Hamas hostages blast Keir Starmer's plan to recognise Palestinian state that they claim will leave loved ones 'rotting in dungeons'
Keir Starmer 's recognition of Palestine will not help the hostages still held in Gaza and is likely to leave them 'rotting in Hamas dungeons', relatives said last night. British families say they were told that the release of those still in the hands of the group would 'play no part' in the UK's plans to recognise statehood. They urged the Prime Minister to change course. Sir Keir announced earlier this week that the UK would take the step of recognising Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel meets certain conditions. Members of four British families met with Foreign Office officials on Thursday night seeking clarification on whether conditions would also be placed on Hamas, their lawyers said in a statement. 'However, it was clear from the meeting that the British Government 's policy will not help the hostages, and could even hurt them,' they said. 'We do not say this lightly, but it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed 'in the round' in late September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations. 'In other words, the 'vision for peace' which the UK is pursuing... may well involve our clients' family members continuing to rot in Hamas dungeons.' Sir Keir had said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire and signs up to a long-term peace process. While he also called for Hamas to immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, disarm and 'accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza', he did not explicitly say these would factor into whether recognition would go ahead. The families have a range of views on what the future political settlement should look like but their priority is to keep the hostages 'above political games', their lawyers said, as they urged the PM to 'change course before it is too late'. Sir Keir said that he 'particularly' listens to hostages after criticism of his plans from Emily Damari, a British-Israeli woman who was held captive by Hamas. The families of Ms Damari and freed hostage Eli Sharabi were among those who met with the Foreign Office. Also present were relatives of Nadav Popplewell and Oded Lifshitz, who both died while in captivity, as well as those of Yocheved Lifschitz, who was released. US President Donald Trump disagrees with Sir Keir's plans, as well as those of France and Canada. The two countries have also pledged to recognise Palestine. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: '[Mr Trump] feels as though that's rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and the release of all of the hostages.' Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, suggested Sir Keir's 'clumsy' pledge 'has reduced the chances of a ceasefire'. Meanwhile pro-Palestinian groups are planning a 'siege' on Labour MPs, councillors and staff in a bid to force the party into an even tougher stance against Israel. The Palestinian Youth Movement has sent instructions to 'solidarity groups' across the UK to take part in a national day of action against the party.
