A letter, exclusively obtained by Sky News, suggests legal action could be taken to prevent the UK government and the British Museum from future talks for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Among the 34 signatories of the letter are former Prime Minister Liz Truss, MPs, and prominent historians, according to SKY News.
When at Number 10, she rejected suggestions that an agreement can be made with Greece over sharing the Parthenon Marbles. When asked about a possible deal, Truss told the TV and radio channel GB News: “I don’t support that.”
The letter, sent to PM Keir Starmer, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, and trustees of the British Museum, alleges that the British Museum is part of a “covert” and “accelerating campaign” to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
It says that some British Museum “trustees may need to consider their position” and calls for an end to any negotiations to return the Marbles, also known in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, or risk legal challenges.
In the letter, campaigners call out what they see as “covert negotiation”, citing an “accelerating campaign to remove the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum”.
They warn that they “reserve the right to seek legal advice on how best to protect the interests of the British public” including “pursuing an injunction to halt any ongoing or future negotiations until the beneficiaries [the British public] have been fully informed”.
Sky News says the letter has been organized by the right-wing campaign group Great British PAC.