Will Starmer oversee the return of the Elgin marbles?

The Elgin marbles, now officially known as the Parthenon marbles, are in the news yet again. Government sources have been briefing that there have been high-level discussions with the Greek government about a possible return to their country of origin, ie Greece. The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has arrived in London for talks with Keir Starmer.

- SEAN O'GRADY

No doubt the disputed antiquities will crop up; no doubt there will be squeals of outrage if there’s any hint that they’ll be leaving the British Museum. It’s a tricky one for the prime minister...

What’s the problem?

The Greeks want them back, and successive British governments have refused to even discuss the matter. They’ve been in the UK since Lord Elgin brought them over in the early 19th century. He supposedly bought them from the Ottoman empire, the then-occupying power in Greece. Obviously, the Greeks don’t see this as legitimate, and the Turks, unusually, agree with the Greeks, and say there’s no proper evidence of any “sale”. It’s caused bad British relations with Greece for decades. Indeed, last year Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with Mitsotakis when it was suggested that any kind of deal was going to be on the table.

What’s the answer?