Latest news with #GreatBritishPAC
Sky News
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
'Covert' and 'accelerating campaign' to return Elgin Marbles to Greece, say campaigners
Former prime minister Liz Truss, historian Dr David Starkey and Sir John Redwood are among 34 signatories to a letter alleging the British Museum is part of a "covert" and "accelerating campaign" to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece. 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.
Sky News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
British Museum part of 'covert' campaign to return Elgin Marbles to Greece, say campaigners
Former prime minister Liz Truss, historian Dr David Starkey and Sir John Redwood are among 34 signatories to a letter alleging the British Museum is part of a "covert" and "accelerating campaign" to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece. 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.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer's Chagos deal faces new legal challenge
Sir Keir Starmer's deal to give away the Chagos Islands is facing a fresh legal challenge. Campaigners have launched a High Court judicial review, which aims to stop the Government from signing away the archipelago to Mauritius without consulting the Chagossian people. The case is expected to be heard next month and is being backed by the Great British PAC, which was also behind an injunction from the High Court last month. The Conservatives backed the judicial review on Wednesday night and said the Chagos deal was a 'damning indictment of Keir Starmer'. The deal, which will cost British taxpayers up to £30 billion, means the Government will have to give notice if it plans to launch an attack from the joint Diego Garcia UK-US military base. The Great British PAC said the High Court case would be led by James Tumbridge, a barrister, and Philip Rule KC. The case is expected to directly challenge David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, for 'excluding Chagossians from a process that directly impacts their land, identity and future'. Misley Mandarin, who is bringing the legal challenge alongside his father Michel Mandarin, is an Army veteran who came to Britain 23 years ago as a British citizen. Michel Mandarin told The Telegraph: 'We are not Mauritian, we are Chagossian. The Government cannot lawfully decide our fate without us.' The claimants will argue that any agreement struck behind closed doors, without input from the Chagossians, is not only unjust but unlawful. The case is set to cite failures under the Equality Act and a duty to consult under common law as well as international legislation, including protections under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: 'British Chagossians have been neglected and betrayed by the Labour Government as part of their £30bn Chagos surrender treaty. 'In their desperation to follow the whims of their Left-wing lawyer and activist friends, Keir Starmer and David Lammy have ignored the British national interest, betrayed British Chagossians and left British taxpayers picking up a £30bn bill. 'It's also a damning indictment of Keir Starmer – a man who boasts of his time as a human rights lawyer – that serious questions have been raised about how he treated British Chagossians.' Sir Keir has repeatedly insisted the Chagos deal represents value for money and has warned British national security would have been at risk had he not signed it. He announced the agreement to give away the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on May 22 despite concerns about how the deal could harm the UK's national security. The Telegraph disclosed last week that once the deal comes into force, Britain will be required to inform Mauritius about any future air strikes on Iran because of Sir Keir's deal. When the agreement was first announced in October, it was heralded by Mr Lammy as proof that Britain upholds its commitments under international law. Sir Keir and Mr Lammy have both claimed that, if Britain had not agreed to give the islands away, it would have been weeks before Mauritius began a successful legal challenge. They said this would have endangered Diego Garcia and put British and American control of the base at risk. Ownership of the Chagos Islands, known officially as the British Indian Ocean Territory, has long been disputed in the international courts. Multiple findings, including one by the United Nations, have claimed ongoing British ownership of the territory was unlawful. The US government, under previous administrations, has actively sought to resolve the issue to protect its assets in the Indian Ocean. In an article for The Telegraph last month, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said Diego Garcia acted as a necessary 'launchpad to defeat terrorists'. Claire Bullivant, the chief executive of the Great British PAC, said: 'This is not just a legal challenge – it's a moral reckoning. 'The UK Government cannot in good conscience or lawful practice sign away the homeland of the Chagossian people without first speaking to them. To exclude them yet again is to rewrite history with the same pen of injustice. 'The Great British PAC stands firmly behind this challenge because true democracy demands consultation, not quiet deals behind closed doors.'
