British Museum thefts were ‘inside job’, says George Osborne

George Osborne (left) and Mark Jones, the interim director, in the British Museum’s Reading Room. Jones said the museum wanted to increase access to its collections. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

The British Museum was the “victim of an inside job” when approximately 2,000 artefacts were stolen from its collections, the chair of trustees, George Osborne, has said.

The museum, one of the most visited in the world, has been dealing with the aftermath of the thefts, which highlighted internal failings and led to the exit of its director. On Wednesday, it also announced plans to digitise its collection.