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Tony Blair’s Labour government lobbied for a treaty to share the Parthenon marbles with Greece in 2003, accusing the British Museum of “blinkered intransigence” over the contested treasures.
In a letter addressed to Blair in April 2003, Downing Street adviser Sarah Hunter wrote: “There are good reasons for us to . . . both privately and publicly encourage the [British Museum] to find an accommodation over the next 12 months,” according to files released by the UK National Archives.
“The Greek case has become more sophisticated — arguing for a loan rather than restitution of ownership — and contrasts with the [British Museum]’s blinkered intransigence to consider any compromises,” she added.
The row over the return of the sculptures has been rumbling on for more than two centuries after they were hauled from the ruins of the Parthenon temple in Athens by the Earl of Elgin. They are currently one of the most celebrated artefacts in the British Museum.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak caused a diplomatic spat in November when he snubbed his Greek counterpart in a dispute over the so-called Elgin Marbles. Sunak had been unhappy with commentary made by Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis ahead of a planned meeting.
Mitsotakis has been in longstanding discussions with British Museum chair George Osborne about the potential for a loan agreement. Sir Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s opposition Labour party, has said he would not stand in the way of such a deal between Athens and the museum.
Osborne, who was also formerly chancellor of the exchequer, said on his Political Currency podcast on Thursday that the museum’s trustees and the government in Athens were “very much up for a deal”, noting that conversations were continuing even if the prime minister was not speaking to his Greek counterpart.
Hunter wrote that the 2,500-year-old carvings could be a “powerful bargaining chip” in vote-building for London’s 2012 Olympic bid, noting that it could help garner the Greek vote and a “range of others”. But, she cautioned, “we would have to guard against other nationals asking for reciprocal acts”.
To solve the impasse, she suggested that London and Athens sign a treaty that would govern a sharing arrangement between the two countries.
In a handwritten note scrawled on the typed letter, Blair wrote that he was in favour of setting up a channel of communication to persuade the British Museum of the advantages of such an arrangement.
He suggested putting former foreign secretary David Owen in charge of the negotiations as he had “clout”, but would also create distance from the government.
Owen had written to the government in March 2003 arguing that negotiating some form of treaty with Athens for the loan of the marbles would have “tremendous benefits”. It is not clear from the documents why this idea was ultimately shelved.
In October 2002, Costas Simitis, then Greek premier, wrote to Blair suggesting that the marbles be restituted to Greece on long-term loan from the British Museum to a new museum being built at the foot of the Acropolis, “bypassing the issue of ownership”, the archive documents reveal.
A 1963 act of parliament stops the British Museum permanently handing back the sculptures.
In exchange, Greece offered to provide the British Museum with a revolving offer of artefacts from antiquity, including some that had never been seen before outside Greece. The Simitis letter made reference to a 2002 poll that found 56 per cent of the British public supported the return of the marbles to Greece.
“The return of the marbles by the British government in the context of the Olympics of 2004, would be an internationally applauded gesture befitting the Olympic spirit,” Simitis wrote.
