{"text":[[{"start":10.24,"text":"Andy Burnham has retreated from his longstanding calls for the so-called Elgin Marbles to return to Greece, now saying that the future of the 2,500-year-old carvings is a matter for the British Museum to resolve."}],[{"start":23.92,"text":"Burnham said in 2023 that the Parthenon sculptures should be sent back to Greece with “no strings attached” and, as far back as 2002, he supported a change to the law to facilitate the move."}],[{"start":37.24,"text":"But in an interview with the FT this week, the UK prime minister said: “Ultimately it’s an issue for the British Museum, isn’t it?”"}],[{"start":45.32,"text":"“Legally that’s where that issue rests, but I’m all in favour of using British cultural diplomacy. That’s something that I’m hugely in favour of.”"}],[{"start":54.68,"text":"The Parthenon Sculptures were originally carved to decorate the Acropolis in Athens and were brought to Britain by Scottish aristocrat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century."}],[{"start":64.96,"text":"Their future is likely to be back in the spotlight next week as attention shifts to the British Museum’s blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry show, which launches in early September."}],[{"start":74.76,"text":"France’s President Emmanuel Macron, King Charles and Burnham are expected to attend the opening, which will be presented as a successful example of international cultural exchange that could spur a separate agreement on the sculptures."}],[{"start":88.1,"text":"But the opening will also raise renewed questions about when — if ever — the sculptures, which were acquired by the British Museum in 1816, might be returned to Greece."}],[{"start":99.724,"text":"Burnham’s arrival in Number 10 raised hopes in Athens that he might intervene, with the Greek paper Ta Nea running the headline: “Will Britain’s next Prime Minister become Greece’s strongest ally yet in Downing Street?”"}],[{"start":110.96,"text":"It trawled through Burnham’s record on the sculptures, including his co-sponsoring in 2002, a year after being elected MP for Leigh, of an unsuccessful House of Commons private members’ bill to facilitate their transfer."}],[{"start":124.4,"text":"The bill would have amended the 1963 British Museum Act, which stops the British Museum permanently handing back the sculptures."}],[{"start":133.56,"text":"During the reopening of the Manchester Museum in February 2023, Burnham, then Greater Manchester mayor, was asked directly if British Museum chair George Osborne should give the sculptures back."}],[{"start":146.7,"text":"He replied: “Yes, George Osborne should give the Elgin Marbles back.”"}],[{"start":151.18,"text":"Shortly afterwards Burnham wrote on social media: “Send them back, no strings attached. And let’s use culture to change how Britain is seen around the world.”"}],[{"start":160.94,"text":"One British Museum official said of Burnham’s retreat: “I thought that’s what might happen. There’s a difference between what you say as an MP and when you’re prime minister . . . It does seem that this is not going to be a cause that political capital is going to be spent on.”"}],[{"start":176,"text":"The British Museum said in a statement: “Discussions with Greece about a Parthenon Partnership are ongoing and constructive."}],[{"start":183.36,"text":"“We believe that this kind of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum.”"}],[{"start":194.34,"text":"Osborne, former Conservative chancellor, has explored with the Greek government the possibility of a loan deal, where part of the frieze is shipped to the Acropolis Museum in Athens in exchange for Greek treasures coming to London."}],[{"start":207.7,"text":"“This is a problem of 200 years. It’s more about getting it right than getting it done quickly,” the museum official said. “The will is there.”"}],[{"start":217.22,"text":"Some 56 per cent of the British public would vote in a referendum to return the sculptures to Greece, versus 22 per cent who would vote to keep them, according to research by JL Partners last year for the Parthenon Project, a pro-return campaign group."}],[{"start":231.78,"text":"Lord Ed Vaizey, former Conservative culture minister and chair of the Parthenon Project, said Burnham’s apparent reversal was “depressing”."}],[{"start":240.14,"text":"“Andy Burnham, the backbencher and mayor, was quite clear on the benefits to the UK of returning the Parthenon sculptures.”"}],[{"start":251.84,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1787900519_3003.mp3"}