Starmer ‘must return Elgin Marbles for EU reset’

Sir Keir Starmer should return the Elgin Marbles to prove he is serious about a post-Brexit reset in relations with the EU, a former European Commission chief has said.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Margaritis Schinas said sending the Parthenon sculptures to Greece would end the divisions caused by Brexit and open a new era of “mutual respect and collaboration”.

The former Commission vice-president urged the Prime Minister to make the gesture this month so that it would coincide with the 200th anniversary year of Lord Byron’s death fighting for Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire.

“Returning the Marbles would be a powerful symbol of Britain’s commitment to strengthening ties and turning the page on recent divisions,” said Mr Schinas, who served in Ursula von der Leyen’s first European Commission, which ended on Dec 1.

He added: “It’s time to close this chapter and open a new era of mutual respect and collaboration.”

Mr Schinas was the Commission’s chief spokesman during the Brexit negotiations before being nominated as Greece’s commissioner by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister.

He said: “2024 is 200 years from Lord Byron’s death in Missolonghi. There could be no better time for a meaningful gesture that signals a new chapter in our historic partnership.”

The Elgin or Parthenon Marbles are a collection of sculptures, inscriptions and architectural features acquired by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1805. Lord Elgin is accused of stealing them or bribing officials to remove them from the top of the Acropolis.

About half of them are now housed in the British Museum, which insists that the marbles were legally bought from the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Athens at the time.

In December, Greek sources insisted that progress had been made in retrieving the Marbles after Sir Keir met the Greek prime minister in London.

Downing Street insisted that the Marbles were not discussed, saying it had “no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move”.

It added: “Decisions relating to the care and management and sculptures are a matter for the trustees of the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the Government.”

As prime minister in 2023, Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with Mr Mitsotakis, accusing him of “grandstanding” after Mr Mitsotakis compared taking away the Elgin Marbles to cutting the Mona Lisa in half.

Since his election victory in July, Sir Keir has moved to forge closer ties with the EU. A UK-EU summit is expected in the first half of next year in Brussels, before substantive talks begin.

The Government wants to improve the Brexit trade deal, sign a veterinary deal removing trade barriers, get better terms for British touring artists, ramp-up work on fighting illegal migration and agree a UK-EU security and foreign policy pact.

However, it has ruled out rejoining the single market or EU freedom of movement rules, which could bring it into conflict with Brussels during the future negotiations.

The EU wants a youth mobility deal and continued access to UK fishing waters but is open to the security agreement.

Diplomatic sources have stressed the need to rebuild trust between the EU and UK after tensions with successive Tory governments over Brexit brought threats of a trade war.

Mr Schinas said that returning the Marbles would deepen long-standing ties between Britain and Greece, as well as the EU.

He said: “Greece and Great Britain share a long and cherished history. Britain played a pivotal role in the liberation of Greece from the Ottoman Empire and in the creation of the modern Greek state.

“Together, our nations stood united in two World Wars, defeating fascism and upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy.”

In December last year, Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator, said the UK should hand back the Marbles in a “grand gesture” to build a new Anglo-Greek cultural partnership.

The British Museum has said that discussions about a “Parthenon Partnership” are “ongoing and constructive”.

That partnership could be the basis of a future deal between the Greek government and the museum, which could return the Marbles in exchange for exhibitions of famous artworks.

If the Marbles return to the Acropolis, the hole they will leave in the British Museum may be filled by perfect replicas created by robot sculptors, it was reported in December.

The Marbles occasionally came into play during the Brexit negotiations. There were calls to return them after the 2016 referendum, as a sign of goodwill before the talks begin.

During the years of negotiations that followed, Greek politicians urged the European Commission to make the Marbles part of the talks.

In February 2020, Athens was behind an EU demand that Britain committed to fighting the illegal trade in historical objects after Brexit as part of the trade deal with Brussels.