Sunak cancels Greek PM meeting in Parthenon Sculptures row

The Parthenon Sculptures, commonly referred to as the Elgin Marbles, have caused a diplomatic spat between the governments of Greece and the United Kingdom.

The last-minute cancellation of the scheduled meeting between Rishi Sunak and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis occurred in London. Mitsotakis declined a rescheduled meeting with the deputy prime minister, expressing disappointment over the cancellation. The British government confirmed the postponement and suggested a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and the Greek PM.

Given his public stance on the future of the marbles, the Conservatives contend that Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer was naive to meet the Greek leader. According to Labour, if a loan agreement were made between the British Museum and Athens, they would not oppose it. The British Museum’s Chair of Trustees, George Osborne, is currently looking for “some kind of arrangement to allow some of the sculptures to spend some of their time in Greece,” as trustees consider the possibility of a loan arrangement with Greece.

The sculptures were a portion of a frieze that adorned the Parthenon temple in Athens, which dates back 2,500 years. The sculptures are housed in the Parthenon Gallery of the Acropolis Museum and combine original marble sculptures with plaster replicas of sculptures held in the British Museum and other international museums.