Losing his marbles: is Sunak’s feud with the Greek PM a genuine cultural issue or merely a distraction tactic?
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Last Wednesday, Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing him of “grandstanding” over the Parthenon marbles, was met with resounding confusion.
The row over the Parthenon marbles has existed with Athens for over 200 years, and for many it is the source of genuine debate, over the role of museums and Britain’s imperial past. Advocates for repatriation argue for the return of not the marbles but all stolen artefacts to their countries of origin. Conversely, others say that the British Museum is a staple of world history and archaeology, framing the display of such items as a privilege.
The 1963 British Museum Act prohibits the removal of objects from the institution’s collection. It is of course possible that Rishi Sunak is just very passionate about archaeology and wants to embolden an institution that stands as a representative of Britain’s history. However, upon closer examination this feud seems far more likely to be a shiny trinket thrown to the British press to divert its gaze away from a Tory party gasping its dying breaths.
As many have pointed out, Greece’s government has been very outspoken about their desire to get the marbles back, and the comments made by the PM that lead to Sunak taking offence were nothing that wouldn’t be expected of the Greek political rhetoric about the issue. Furthermore, as Starmer argued at Wednesday’s PMQs, the meeting was a key opportunity for Sunak to discuss economic growth and illegal immigration with a NATO ally. But this is exactly what Sunak is trying to hide from. The week prior saw news of record high net migration in 2022, intensifying pressure on the PM, who has centred much of his campaign on ‘stopping the boats’.
The ongoing COVID-19 inquiry dredges up damaging revelations about Tory politicians every day, often by former colleagues, demonstrating the party’s internal divisions. The most shocking allegation of late is that Sunak suggested the government “should let people die”. In light of these embarrassments, Sunak has clearly revived an ancient argument over statues to redirect public attention.
It is clear that the marbles belong at the Acropolis, and that Greece has the right to own the physical remnants of its history. More poignantly though, the marbles represent the birthplace of democracy, and it is shameful that they are being used as political cannon fodder by the least democratically elected Prime Minister in living memory.
However the most embarrassing part about all of this is its lacklustre success as a distraction tactic. While there have been features and op-eds in the Telegraph or the Times discussing the fate of the marbles, the overall outcome for Sunak has been nothing but backlash and humiliation. He was ridiculed by Keir Starmer in what was arguably his best PMQs - the Labour leader, not known for his comedic prowess, landed two genuinely funny blows against the PM and the Home Secretary. He was then called a “rat faced B**tard” by the Greek PM and accused of having a “hissy fit” by former Conservative chancellor and current Chair of the British Museum, George Osborne.
To top it all off, Sunak’s reward for snubbing a foreign ally in defence of Britain’s imperial past - something seemingly aligned with Patriotic sentiments - was King Charles wearing a tie emblazoned with Greek flags during his COP28 speech. Everything else that has been a disaster under his premiership - rising immigration figures and NHS wait times - can be attributed to mistakes made before he took the reins. But this week has illuminated the desperation of a leader lacking the talent to properly distract from his impending political demise.