Minister hints at Elgin Marbles loan if Greece changes tune
Britain could loan the Elgin Marbles to the Acropolis if Greece changes its position on their rightful home, a Government minister has hinted.
Lord Parkinson, the minister for arts and heritage, suggested Athens could borrow the antiquities if it acknowledges that they are owned by the British Museum.
But Lord Frost, the former minister, said he was “unconvinced” by the prospect of a loan, arguing the UK should permanently return the disputed treasures to Greece in “a grand gesture”.
It follows a major diplomatic spat over the Marbles in which Rishi Sunak snubbed a meeting with his Greek counterpart, accusing him of trying to “grandstand” and dredge up “issues of the past”.
Speaking during a debate in the Lords on Thursday, Lord Parkinson stressed that the sculptures are legally owned by the trustees of the British Museum, which is independent of the Government.
He went on to outline a “hypothetical scenario” in which the museum might obtain an “open individual export licence”, allowing it to send an object on loan for a maximum of three years.
But he said this would only be possible if it was guaranteed that the item in question would be returned to the UK.
Given that Greece has long maintained that the sculptures were stolen by Lord Elgin in an example of imperialist plundering, he said it was “very difficult” to see how such a deal could be struck with Athens.
‘It is time for a grand gesture’
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has previously suggested that Mr Sunak would not be in favour of a loan arrangement, telling reporters: “We have no plans to change our approach and certainly we think that the museum is the right place for them.”
While loans have been made by the British Museum to Athens, Lord Parkinson said Greece had made clear this is not an option for the Marbles.
“If the Greek government changed its position, and that seems like a big ‘if’ - it has been their position for all of my life - then it would require an open individual export licence, which allows museums to send an object on loan for up to a maximum of three years,” he said.
“Crucially, the open export licence can only be used if it is guaranteed that an object will return at the end of the loan.”
He added: “Given the legitimate questions which are raised about, in this hypothetical scenario, the items being returned, I think it would be important that any loan did not extend beyond the tenure of any of the trustees who agreed it. They should be in a position to ensure that the guarantee required in the open export licence was made.”
Lord Frost, who learned Greek in Greece and has lived in Cyprus, said: “The problem with a loan is that it keeps the issue and the arguments alive. I think we should try and settle this for good.
“My personal view on this is that it is time for a grand gesture and only the Government can make it. It is to offer to return the Marbles as a one-off gift to Greece from this country but as part of and on condition of a new wider Anglo-Greek cultural partnership.”
