| There are whispers that the recent change of government in the UK may result in gains in terms of closer ties with Brussels, not only a softer approach to migration but also in losses – particularly of its marbles. The Elgin Marbles, more correctly known as the Parthenon Marbles, have been a bone of contention between the UK and Greece since the 7th Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce. He did what the British ruling class did best: stripped Ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon in the early 1800s and shipped them off to England. He then sold them to the British Museum, where they have sat for over 200 years, despite multiple pleas to return them to their rightful home. Elgin claimed he had permission from the Ottoman authorities who ruled Athens at the time, whereas the Greeks and many others insist they were stolen. More fuel was added to the fire at the start of June, when a Turkish representative at the UNESCO Intergovernmental Commission for the Return of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin, stated there is no document in existence, legitimising the handing over of the marbles to Elgin, taking the wind out of the sales of the UK’s main argument. The author of this brief, a Brit, believes that regardless of whether they were taken with the permission of an occupying force or not, they do not belong to the UK and should be returned. As for public opinion in the UK, 64% agree with me. The issue has arisen many times over the years, but during the reign of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, it was deemed too much of a thorny issue to touch. Former minister for Europe during those years, Denis McShane, published an op-ed in The Times last week where he said Blair was hesitant to upset the powerful Oxbridge elite, many of whom had a close affinity with ‘the Classics’. | 