The British Government has no plans to change legislation that prevents the permanent return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, despite renewed calls for their repatriation in the House of Lords.
However, it confirmed that discussions between the British Museum and the Greek side are continuing in an effort to find a mutually acceptable solution.
The issue was raised in the UK Parliament on Tuesday after an intervention by the independent Earl of Clancarty, who asked whether the Government had considered proposals for the permanent return of the sculptures.
Responding on behalf of the Government, Culture Minister Baroness Twycross said no such assessment had been carried out. She nevertheless welcomed discussions between the British Museum and Greek ministers.
“The Government has no plans to change the law or introduce legislation to allow the permanent return of the Parthenon Sculptures,” she said.
Peers challenge the case for keeping the sculptures
The Earl of Clancarty argued that the case for returning the sculptures was not only a legal or national issue, but also an artistic one.
Using Pablo Picasso’s Guernica as an example, he asked how people would react if the painting had been cut into pieces and its sections displayed in different museums.
He also called for a limited amendment to the British Museum Act 1963, which would allow the museum to decide the sculptures’ future.
Labour peer Lord Dubs also supported their return, asking whether existing legislation allowed the museum to make such a decision or whether new legislation would be required.
British Museum maintains loan proposal
Baroness Twycross explained that the 1963 Act prevents objects from being permanently removed from the British Museum’s collections, subject to limited exceptions.
She reiterated the museum’s established position that a loan of the sculptures could be considered if Greece recognised the museum’s ownership and provided a binding guarantee that the artefacts would be returned.
She also referred to the Bayeux Tapestry, whose loan from France to Britain has been presented by the museum’s leadership as a possible model for an agreement with Greece.
However, Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti questioned the logic of a loan arrangement. She suggested that Britain would be unlikely to accept a similar solution if its Crown Jewels had been taken abroad.
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Hussein-Ece stressed that Greece had been seeking the sculptures’ return for decades. She described them as an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage and pointed out that the Acropolis Museum is now available to house them.
Conservative peer Lord Hailsham, meanwhile, raised concerns that returning the sculptures could set a precedent for the repatriation of other antiquities held in British museums.
UK says discussions should continue
Baroness Twycross said Britain maintained strong historical and cultural ties with Greece.
She reiterated that the Government supported the British Museum’s efforts to reach a solution within the existing legal framework, leaving the possibility of further discussions open despite ruling out a legislative change.
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