Andy Burnham fractures hopes of Parthenon Marbles restitution

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has backtracked on his position to restitute the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, he declared: “Ultimately it’s an issue for the British Museum.”

Burnham made the comments after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street ahead of the Bayeux Tapestry arriving at the British Museum on loan.

Following a historic agreement with France, the 70-metre-long tapestry, depicting events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, will be shown at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027.

In an adjoining wing of the museum stands the Marbles. Made up of a series of sculpted relief panels and a frieze depicting the Panathenaic festival of Athena, they have been a part of the British Museum’s collection since 1816, after being sold to the British government by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin. Greek authorities have been campaigning for their restitution since the 1980s. 

Burnham is a long-time outspoken advocate for the repatriation of the Marbles to Greece. In response, Greek media had welcomed Burnham’s election earlier this summer with guarded optimism as a possible ally in this longstanding cultural dispute. Greek media outlet Ta Nea had highlighted his commitment to the cause over the last 25 years, from social media posts to his support of an amendment of the “British Museum Act” of 1963, that prohibits the institution from transferring exhibits from its collection. 

A little over a month later, the PM has fallen in line with his predecessors, citing the Museum’s legal binds and favouring the use of “British cultural diplomacy” to come to an agreement. 

The development comes as the British Museum seeks closer cooperation with Greek authorities. Last week, director Nicholas Cullinan reiterated the institution’s wish for a collaboration that could eventually lead to a loan of the Marbles in Greece, not unlike the recent arrangement concerning the Bayeux Tapestry.