Greek PM reneged on assurances over Parthenon marbles, says No 10

A spokesperson for Sunak said he felt any talks were likely to be ‘dominated’ by the row over the sculptures. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart for going back on assurances that he would not use a UK visit as a “public platform” to lobby for the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Athens, Downing Street has said.

The diplomatic spat between Sunak and Kyriakos Mitsotakis came after an interview with the BBC on Sunday in which the Greek prime minister described the retention of the marbles at the British Museum as being akin to the Mona Lisa being cut in half, language which the Greek government has used before.