Rishi Sunak’s threw a “hissy fit” with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the Elgin Marbles because he chose to met Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer first, George Osborne has suggested.
The PM created an unexpected diplomatic firestorm this week after abruptly cancelling a meeting in London with his “baffled” Greek counterpart, with No 10 claiming Mr Mitsotakis had reneged on a promise not to discuss the centuries-old dispute over the Parthenon Sculptures.
Mr Sunak then deepened the row by accusing Mr Mitsotakis of “grandstanding”, with Sir Keir suggesting the PM had “lost his marbles” and was playing “small politics” in a bruising Commons session on Wednesday.
On Friday Mr Sunak was forced to deny throwing a “hissy fit”, and suggested that any loan deal sought by Mr Osborne – the British museum chairman – was impossible.
The ex-Tory chancellor said on his Political Currency podcast that he had heard “various theories” of why Mr Sunak cancelled the meeting.
“Is it just petulance? Is it just having a bit of a hissy fit?” said Mr Osborne. “And, I think if that’s the reason, it’s not because Mitsotakis was going to raise the Elgin Marbles. It’s because he had met Keir Starmer the day before,” he said.
Regardless of his reasoning, Mr Osborne said Mr Sunak had opened the door to a “pretty devastating line of attack” from Sir Keir.
The museum chair and Tory grandee said: “He should be doubling down on being the serious person who of course meets another European leader when they’re in town to discuss things like Ukraine or the energy crisis or migration, all of which Greece is relevant to.”
Sir Keir Starmer met with the Greek PM in London on Monday
Mr Osborne added: “It just shows again that they’re not focused on delivering a coherent strategy week after week after week, which is the Conservatives’ only chance of getting back into this political fight.”
Asked whether the former chancellor was right about a “hissy fit”, Mr Sunak told journalists with him at Cop28: “No, no. I think I’ve said everything I’ve got to say on this in parliament the other day.”
The Tory leader also hinted that a loan arrangement could be impossible due to Greece’s current stance. “Our position is very clear – as a matter of law the marbles can’t be returned and we’ve been unequivocal about that,” he said.
“And I think the British Museum’s website itself says that in order for the loans to happen the recipient needs to acknowledge the lawful ownership of the country that’s lending the things.”
Mr Sunak added: “And I think the Greeks have not suggested that they are in any way shape or form willing to do that. Our view and our position on that is crystal clear: the marbles were acquired legally at the time.”
The Parthenon Sculptures are on display in the British Museum
Greece has long demanded the return of the historic works, which were removed by Lord Elgin from occupied Athens in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
As British Museum chair, Mr Osborne has been talking with the Greek government about a potential arrangement which would allow the sculptures to be displayed in Greece.
The 1963 British Museum Act prohibits the removal of objects from the institution’s collection, a position in law that Mr Osborne said would ensure Greece would have to return the sculptures following any exchange.
But he said on Thursday that it was clear from events this week that Mr Sunak’s government would not support an exchange.
The Labour leader sought to position himself as PM-in-waiting as he used his own meeting with Mr Mitsotakis to taunt Mr Sunak, saying: “I discussed with the Greek prime minister the economy, security, immigration. I also told him we wouldn’t change the law regarding the marbles. It’s not that difficult.”
As Tory MPs cringed at Mr Sunak’s apparent own goal, which saw him plastered across Greek front pages this week, including one carrying the words “f*** you b******”, an alternative explanation was floated by Mr Osborne on Thursday.
Mr Sunak sough to brush off suggestions the Labour leader’s meeting with the Greek premier could make him appear more statesmanlike, pointing to his own “fantastic track record” of global diplomacy over the last year.
