Former Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire supports the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles and visits Athens for the first time

The Greek daily newspaper,Ta Nea featured an interview by Yannis Andritsopoulos with Former Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire in their Saturday edition. In the interview, Thangam Debbonaire refers to the 'theft' of the Parthenon Marbles and that the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, now UK's PM, is keen to see a solution to this long running impasse.

Thangam Debbonaire views the Acropolis Museum as the right place to display the surviving sculptures and is looking forward to visiting Athens this weekend as she is will be speaking on Monday at an event organised by the Parthenon Project.

Thangam Debbonaire reiterates in the interview that it is the Labour governments continued position to see the British Museum find a solution that is acceptable to both Greece and UK's cultural institution.

Thangam Debbonaire also used the same analogy that PM Mitotakis used during his November visit to the UK last year, where reference was made to the Mona Lisa and what we would all say if we had to view her in two halves. She also feels that most UK parliamentarians would wish to see a solution as the request for reunification has raged on for so long and is encouraged by Nicholas Cullinan's views for the future of the British Museum.

The Parthenon Project campaign includes the transformation of the Duveen Gallery at the British Museum into a gallery that would be renamed the “Prince Philip Hellenic Gallery” to display never-before-seen Greek artefacts, a proposal that excites Thangam Debbonaire, and we remind ourselves that it is 24 years since the first Greek minister, voiced the will of Greece to offer the British Museum artefacts from Greece not seen outside of Greece (should the sculptures in London be reunited with those in Athens).

More on this story also in Daily Mail & MSN.

Plus in The Times on Monday 30 September 2024, Oliver Wright adds: 'government sources played down the prospect of an early solution, saying that Debbonaire was not speaking on behalf of ministers'.

“We have no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move of the Parthenon sculptures,” said a spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Looks as though the campaigns, yes there are more than one (!), continue, apace.