George Osborne boasts of ‘progress’ in his bid to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece however says a deal is ‘nonetheless a long way’ off

A deal on the Elgin Marbles is ‘still some distance’ off but there has been a ‘lot of progress’, the chairman of the British Museum said.

Speaking yesterday, George Osborne said the sculptures could not be sent back under current laws but could be lent to Greece – more than 200 years after Lord Elgin had them removed from the Parthenon.

Mr Osborne told the Political Currency podcast they were looking at an ‘arrangement where, at some point, some of the sculptures are in Athens, where they were originally sited. And, in return, Greece lends us some of its treasures’.

The Greek PM met Keir Starmer in the UK this week. 

A Downing Street spokesman said a decision on the Marbles was ‘entirely’ up to the British Museum.

A deal on the Elgin Marbles is ‘still some distance’ off but there has been a ‘lot of progress’, the chairman of the British Museum said

Talks in London on December 3, 2024 between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis have rekindled hopes of a deal for the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum in 2025

Visitors view the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, at the British Museum in London on January 9, 2023