'Covert' and 'accelerating campaign' to return Elgin Marbles to Greece, say campaigners
The letter, seen exclusively by Sky News, which was sent to Sir Keir Starmer, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and trustees of British Museum, says "reform will be necessary".
It says that some British Museum "trustees may need to consider their position" and calls for an end to any negotiations to return the Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, or risk legal challenges.
In the letter, campaigners call out what they see as "covert negotiation", citing an "accelerating campaign to remove the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum".
They warn that they "reserve the right to seek legal advice on how best to protect the interests of the British public" including "pursuing an injunction to halt any ongoing or future negotiations until the beneficiaries [the British public] have been fully informed".
The letter has been organised by the right-wing campaign group Great British PAC, led by Conservative activist Claire Bullivant and former Reform deputy co-leader Ben Habib.
The British Museum Act 1963 prevents treasures like the Marbles from being legally given away by the museum.
A government spokesperson said there are "no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move of the Parthenon Sculptures".
The spokesperson added that decisions relating to the care and management of the museum's collections, including loaning objects, "are a matter for the trustees of the British Museum".
It is understood the government has not been asked to consider a request related to the loan of the Elgin Marbles.
Speaking at a Westminster Hall debate on the return of the artefacts in May, culture minister Chris Bryant said: "We have no intention to change the law."
He added: "Under existing law, it would be impossible for there to be a permanent or indefinite loan."
Back in December, British Museum chair and former chancellor George Osborne told the Political Currency podcast that a deal to return the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece is "still some distance" away.
Mr Osborne has been contacted for a comment.
A spokesperson for the British Museum said: "Discussions with Greece about a Parthenon Partnership are on-going and constructive.
"We believe that this kind of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum."
The Parthenon Project, which includes supporters such as Stephen Fry and Lord Ed Vaizey on its board, campaigns for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures and was cited in the letter as "lavishly funded by a foreign industrialist".
The lobbying group's website lists Greek plastics magnate John Lefas and family as the leaders and key financiers of the organisation, and that it aims for a "win-win solution" for both Greece and Britain.
British diplomat Lord Elgin removed the sculptures in the early 19th century while he was the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which then ruled Greece.
Lord Elgin claimed he had been given permission by the Ottoman Empire for the transfer of the sculptures and sold them to the UK government in 1816, before the marbles were passed into the trusteeship of the British Museum.
Turkey disputes that permission was ever given, and representative Dr Zeynep Boz supported Greece publicly in 2024 at the United Nations Return & Restitution Intergovernmental Committee (ICPRCP).
UK agrees deal on Bayeux Tapestry
The latest outburst over the Elgin Marbles comes as the Bayeux Tapestry loan deal with France has been agreed.
The historic depiction of the Battle of Hastings and the killing of King Harold will be back in Britain for the first time in 900 years from September 2026 to July 2027.
This diplomatic triumph could signal that the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures is possible and that there could be reasons for the signatories to seek legal action yet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
'One of a kind' Northamptonshire unitary council boss to leave
A council chief executive described by the authority's leader as "one of a kind" has announced she is Earnshaw was the first chief officer of West Northamptonshire Council when it was established in will depart from the Reform UK-controlled authority later this Earnshaw said the decision to leave had been "difficult" but "the time is now right". Anna Earnshaw came to West Northamptonshire Council from the outsourcing company, Capita, where she managed partnerships with local joined Northamptonshire County Council in 2016 and became its deputy chief executive in the time, the council was effectively going bankrupt and central government decided to abolish the authority and seven other councils across Earnshaw was chosen to be chief executive of the new West Northamptonshire Council - the fifth largest unitary in the country - which was under Conservative control until Reform UK took over the reins in May. She said: "It has been an absolute privilege serving west Northamptonshire's communities and I'm extremely proud of everything we have achieved together."Having made my decision to leave on a personal level some time ago, it was important to me to support our new administration through their first months in office."She added that leaving behind "dedicated" council colleagues had made her decision to leave "so difficult" but "the time is now right personally for me to do new things". The leader of the council, Mark Arnull, said: "Anna really is one of a kind in local government and an excellent, dedicated public servant."The leader of the Conservative opposition, Dan Lister, said: "She has been a hardworking and highly capable chief executive, respected by members and officers alike." Sally Keeble, the leader of the Labour group, said Ms Earnshaw had seen the authority "through from its earliest, shadow days, and through unprecedented financial and political upheavals, with great skill. "For the Liberal Democrat group, Jonathan Harris said Ms Earnshaw's departure was the second senior-level resignation by a women since May's election, coming after the departure of assistant chief executive Rebecca Purnell in added: "Now, the council faces a period of uncertainty along with an inexperienced administration."Anna has played a pivotal role in supporting the council through its transition to a unitary authority." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
38 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jenrick calls for removal of judges who ‘bring personal politics' into job
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said judges who 'bring their own personal politics' to the job need to be removed. Mr Jenrick said tighter checks are needed before judges are appointed to see if they have partisan views, as well as a system which would allow for them to be removed from their position if political meddling is confirmed. He told The Daily Telegraph: 'If judges want to enter the political sphere themselves, then they should stop being judges and go into politics. 'We have to have a situation where judges who act politically and bring their own personal politics into their job as a judge are held to account and frankly, can be removed.' Mr Jenrick said he has exposed judges who have tweeted 'highly political, partisan messages' while others have acted as trustees of charities which he described as 'highly partisan'. 'I think that is bringing the historic independence of our judiciary into serious disrepute, and we've got to change that,' he said. Among suggestions from a review is removing the appointment of judges from an independent body – introduced in 2005 under then prime minister Tony Blair – and returning them to the Lord Chancellor. Removing senior judges requires a vote in both the Commons and the Lords, while an investigation ending in a recommendation of removal is needed in lower courts. Mr Jenrick said that while UK judges in some areas remain 'among the most respected in the world', he said the independence of the judiciary has been 'brought into disrepute' in some areas, including immigration tribunals. 'There's no point extricating ourselves from activist judges in Strasbourg only to be beholden to activist judges here,' he said. The former immigration minister also told the Telegraph he wanted 'every single illegal migrant in this country' to be deported. He said that included not only those arriving on small boats, but also those who have arrived in lorries or claimed asylum after landing at airports. Earlier this week, the BBC apologised to Mr Jenrick after a refugee charity boss suggested the shadow justice secretary is xenophobic. Mr Jenrick accused the broadcaster of smearing 'millions of worried citizens as 'xenophobic' for their completely understandable fears'. While appearing on Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday, Krish Kandiah, a director of Sanctuary Foundation, claimed Mr Jenrick had increased 'fear of the stranger' among people.
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Like Jeremy Corbyn and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, I grew up in Woodcraft Folk. Here's how it changes children's lives
At the age of six I made the most important decision of my life: I joined Woodcraft Folk. It's impossible to overstate the impact that growing up in the UK's oldest co-educational youth movement made on me. My values, my skills, the deep friendships that have lasted into adulthood, the very fact that I am writing these words in this paper, every vote I have ever cast – all can be traced back to my time in Woodcraft Folk. The largest leftwing force in British youth work, the charity turns 100 this year. It has produced some striking alumni including former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor, poet Michael Rosen, and political editor Robert Peston. With the government announcing new funding to boost youth services outside schools, Woodcraft Folk's centenary is the perfect moment to learn from its remarkable story and unique approach to youth empowerment. The challenges young people face in contemporary Britain take many forms. They are denied the ability to play outside as their grandparents did, or to take healthy risks. They are subject to suspicion from authority and derision in the media. They are fed the full addictive force of under-regulated new technologies almost from birth, then chastised for using them. There are no simple answers to these compounding challenges, but the mix of inclusive community, political education, fun outdoor activities and meaningful support that Woodcraft Folk offers young people could, perhaps, offer a blueprint. Founded in the aftermath of the first world war in south London by working-class young adults who wanted a more democratic and less militaristic alternative to Scouts and Guides, Woodcraft Folk grew quickly. Supported by co-operatives and trade unions, groups germinated across the country, combining after-school activities with large summer camps run on socialist principles. The hope was to model a more egalitarian society, giving young people the skills and knowledge to become active citizens. By the late 30s, Woodcraft Folk was a serious force. The Labour party had recognised it as 'the appropriate organisation for the children of its members' and a mass display of the charity's camping techniques took place in Wembley stadium. Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists, was intimidated by its rise. According to former MP for Brighton Kemptown Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who also grew up in the organisation and is now its chief executive, Mosley's Blackshirts marched to the gates of a 1938 Woodcraft Folk children's camp in a show of intimidation. Fascist Mosley was right to see Woodcraft Folk as an adversary. A year later, it became the largest secular organisation to support the Kindertransport, helping Jewish children escape from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Woodcraft Folk leader Henry Fair, christened 'the second Schindler' by the press, was put on the Gestapo death list for his role in the evacuations. Over the decades the charity has remained at the forefront of ethical youth work. It has consistently campaigned against apartheid, austerity and war. It stood up for the rights of queer youth workers despite funders withdrawing grants, marched against the invasion of Iraq and has boycotted Israeli products since 2010 in protest at the blockade of Gaza. For me, Woodcraft Folk was not just a political education, but a rich mix of hiking, making and adventures too. It's where I first learned to light a fire in the rain, use a compass to navigate fog, to juggle and to edit film. The first time I boarded a plane was with Woodcraft Folk to be part of an international camp in Austria, pitching tents alongside children from all over the world. It was with Woodcraft Folk that I marched through London in my first big anti-war protest and, of course, had my first kiss. Many adults balk at the prospect of tackling sensitive subjects like war, sex and politics with children, but finding creative ways to navigate difficult issues is why the charity remains so important and relevant. In the internet era there is no healthy way to shield young people from complex topics, but neither should there be. Ignorance is a shoddy substitute for a culture of safe and open discursive learning, and children are far more capable of grappling with heavy truths than many adults give them credit for. Raised alongside difficult topics, the children of the charity aren't just better prepared for the world, but more able to support and educate each other. For example, when as a kid I tried regurgitating a racist joke I'd heard at a school, it was my Woodcraft Folk peers, rather than adults, who immediately explained why the 'joke' was stupid and offensive and made sure I never repeated my shameful mistake. At a Woodcraft Folk camp marking their centenary, volunteers put the charity's theory of mixing politics with fun activities into practice. Night-time orienteering and ceilidhs ran alongside eviction resistance workshops and discussions around prison abolition. While the Scouts sing campfire songs like Coca-Cola Came to Town and Ging Gang Gooly, the Woodcraft Folk songbook includes civil rights anthems about Rosa Parks and Hiroshima. But if Woodcraft Folk has a clear vision of how society should empower the young, the current government has produced only topsy-turvy contradictory policies and proclamations. Last week the prime minister declared kids these days are 'detached from the real world' and pledged £88m to liberate young people 'stuck behind a screen'. But, at the same time Keir Starmer's government is pumping more than twice as much money into bringing more 'AI learning into classrooms'. Sixteen year olds are finally to get the vote (a right Woodcraft Folk has long campaigned for), yet simultaneously the censorious Online Safety Act has imposed sweeping restrictions on those same young people's access to certain information, including political posts. A closer look at the newly announced youth funding reveals much of it is, in fact, earmarked for calcified initiatives like gym equipment and more police cadets that will fail to holistically broaden horizons. I was a shy and nerdy child, often bullied by local schoolchildren. There's a parallel universe in which, retreating from my tormentors, I too could have become detached from the real world, the reclusive screen addict that Starmer fears. But Woodcraft Folk gave me space to flourish in my own way, supported by caring adults. I built profound friendships with peers, learned about big ideas and took on big challenges. My life and career have been immensely richer thanks to those experiences, as have the lives of thousands of others. If the government is serious about empowering young people, they should start by listening to and learning from the movement that's already been doing it brilliantly for a century. Phineas Harper is a writer and curator
