Greece embraces new law that could see British Museum lose its Marbles

THE future of the Elgin Marbles is set in stone, unless democracy can undo the legacy of empire.

This is the view of Greek officials seeking to return the sculptures from the British Museum’s collection to Athens, reversing what they see as a 19th-century imperialist acquisition.

The cause of repatriation has so far led to a stalemate between Greece and the UK, one that is set to continue even after conciliatory hints from British Museum chairman George Osborne that there is a “deal to be done”. How is the stand off to be ended?

Despite recent talk of “dialogue” from the British side, The Sunday Telegraph understands pragmatists in Athens see the best and only hope for repatriation not in loans and cultural exchanges, but in democracy: in the UK Parliament voting through new legislation. “There needs to be a legislative change,” a senior Greek official told The Telegraph. “One that will allow the museum to dispose of objects in its collection. That would be a key positive step. That is really the way forward, that is what we are waiting for.”

The crux of the issue, as high-level figures in Athens see it, is the British Museum Act 1963. Originally intended to stop cultural treasures being sold off, the Act prevents museum trustees from disposing of objects except in limited circumstances, meaning it is not within the gift of trustees to hand back the Elgin Marbles.

When faced with demands to return the 2,500-year-old artworks, the museum consistently states it cannot, as it would be for the Government to bring a new Act to allow repatriation.

When the Government faces demands for repatriation, such as those restated by prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in 2021, it claims it is a matter for the British Museum’s trustees.

This circular passing of responsibility masks a stalemate, according to Greek figures who have been wary of recent suggestions the deadlock can be broken without action from the UK Government.

Unesco-mediated talks between British and Greek ministers were mooted in spring this year, but the Department of Digital Culture Media and

Sport (DCMS) soon played down these discussions.

In June, Mr Osborne proposed a deal allowing the Marbles to be loaned to Athens, likely the Acropolis Museum, and July saw vague talk of a “Parthenon Partnership” to ease relations.

However, Greece has always maintained the Marbles were stolen from the Acropolis by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century in an example of British imperialist plundering. In order to secure their loan, Greek politicians would have to accept that Britain legally acquired and owns the collection of sculptures and friezes. This is the position of the Museum, which claims Lord Elgin legitimately obtained the Marbles from the Ottoman authorities governing Athens in the early 1800s.

A senior Greek source has said British ownership “cannot be accepted”, and so the Marbles will remain in Room 18 of the Museum unless there is a change in the law.

Andrew Dismore, a former Labour MP who brought a Private Member’s Bill in 2009 attempting to achieve this, has agreed with the Greek position that legislative change is the only hope for those who want to see the Marbles permanently returned to Athens.

He told The Telegraph: “A legal battle would not work. Greece did not exist as a nation when the Marbles were taken, and Greece was not a nation when the Marbles were made. So ownership is tricky. They need a solution which sidesteps the legal issue and the question of ownership.

“The 1963 Act is the main stumbling block, and the way to change that is through Parliament. It could be through a Private Members Bill but, realistically, it would need government backing to get through.”

However, it has been suggested by supporters of repatriation that increased public support for the Greek cause could improve the chances of a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament, which would conventionally be open to a free vote.

YouGov polling commissioned by the recently launched campaign group the Parthenon Project, has found that 54 per cent of UK adults would support the returning of the Marbles compared with 23 per cent who disagreed.

However, the DCMS has said the Government has no plans to change museum legislation any time soon. The British Museum has consistently said all objects in its collection are up for discussion, but only in regards to a loan deal.