After assuming the UK’s highest office, another British prime minister has changed his mind about returning the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Was this predictable?

In a remarkable U-turn from the support he expressed for their repatriation in February 2023 while Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham told the Financial Times last month: “Ultimately it’s an issue for the British Museum, isn’t it?”

“Legally that’s where that issue rests,” he added, “but I’m all in favour of using British cultural diplomacy. That’s something that I’m hugely in favour of.”

We witnessed the same political expediency overtake the youthful rhetoric of Boris Johnson, who retreated from his original support for repatriation by insisting when leader of the Government in 2021 the sculptures were “legally acquired” and must remain in London.

So, was it just political grandstanding in 2002 when Burnham was one of seven MPs who supported a private member’s bill that sought to make changes to the British Museum Act 1963, changes that might have led to removing clauses that prevent the return of these ancient sculptures to Greece?

The bill was dropped, but Burnham’s support for repatriation continued. Seemingly, it was legitimate and unwavering. Just three years ago, at the reopening of the Manchester Museum in February 2023, he was asked if the British Museum’s chair, George Osborne, should repatriate the sculptures. “Yes”, Burnham replied definitively, “George Osborne should give the Elgin Marbles back.”

This was no off the cuff remark. Shortly afterwards, he wrote on social media, “Send them back, no strings attached. And let’s use culture to change how Britain is seen around the world.”

Faced with such conviction, The Art Newspaper contacted the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) following Burnham’s appointment as Prime Minister in July 2026 to ask if he still held these views. The Department’s reply followed a familiar mantra: “Decisions relating to the care and management of the museum’s collections, including loaning objects, are a matter for the trustees of the British Museum.”

It's been a long-standing deceit by British prime ministers to place responsibility for inaction on the British Museum’s own trustees. It was used by Burnham’s immediate predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer (although he was not opposed to a loan arrangement if terms could be mutually agreed) and it was used by Boris Johnson to shore up his U-turn on the Marbles. "The British Museum operates independently of the government," Johnson’s spokesperson said in November 2021. "Any decisions relating to the collections are taken by the Museum's trustees, and any question about the location for the Parthenon sculptures is a matter for them."

The provisions in the British Museum Act that prohibit the return of artefacts - regardless of the circumstances of their acquisition - are clear. They were drawn up expressly to prevent the return of iconic items in the collection, in particular, the 5th cent BCE sculptures removed by agents of Lord Elgin from the Acropolis. So, whether they are comfortable with it or not, the Museum’s trustees’ hands are tied. Ultimately, only the will of Parliament can alter the Act.

If such ambitions do exist in the minds of British prime ministers, what keeps standing in their way?

The DCMS is the government department most likely to drive a new ethical agenda on questions of restitution and repatriation. They have the responsibility for promoting and managing this nation’s cultural agenda. But worryingly, even those culture ministers who have a deep and genuine interest in the Marbles have failed to get the DCMS to change the status quo.

Ed Vaizey, now Lord Vaizey, was one of Britain’s longest serving and most distinguished culture ministers (2010-2016). But only after leaving office has Vaizey been able to apply his skills and influence to the Parthenon debate. In 2022 Vaizey was appointed chair of the Parthenon Project, an organisation committed to reunifying the sculptures in London with those in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

One predictable roadblock has been the lack of fair and reliable information available to MPs and government on the wider issues covering legal and ethical principles, justice, cultural identity, institutional responsibilities and international obligations. Commissioning this work is essential for recommending an appropriate and modern national framework for restitution and repatriation. Burnham speaks of the importance of British cultural diplomacy. He’ll need to commission such a report if he really is serious about using culture to change how Britain is seen around the world.

Photo: Andy Burnham MP

Courtesy of LinkedIn