It doesn’t take much nous to see what’s going on with the Elgin Marbles. After the PM’s affectionate chat with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the other day, Sir Keir Starmer’s office has confirmed that the Government will not stand in the way of a deal between the Greek government and the British Museum for a long-term loan of the statues. It seems the Prime Minister regards the “care and management” of the sculptures as a matter for the museum.
The Chairman of the British Museum trustees is George Osborne, and he is thought to favour a long-term loan agreement as a way to settle the vexed issue of the actual ownership of the Marbles. You can see the way things are going. The museum’s Western Wing, with the Greek statues, is due to be renovated in the next few years. What could be handier than for the Marbles to be shipped off to Greece while their plinths are getting scrubbed?
