We could share Elgin Marbles, says British Museum

THE Elgin Marbles could be shared with Greece and there is a “deal to be done”, the chairman of the British Museum has said.

George Osborne, who heads the board of the museum that has become embroiled in a long-running row over the 2,500-year-old sculptures, has suggested the dispute could have a “sensible” solution.

“In the British Museum, they tell a story about civilisation compared to all the other civilisations – China, India, other parts of the Mediterranean,” he said. “In Greece, they only tell the story of Greek civilisation. I think there is a deal to be done where we can tell both stories, in Athens and in London, if we both approach this without a load of pre-conditions, a load of red lines.”

Andrew Marr on LBC suggested to Mr Osborne that this could mean “you would move some of them to Greece at least for a while, and then back to London”. He replied: “That kind of arrangement ... where you can see them in their splendour in Athens, and see them among the splendours of other civilisations in London.”