Secret discussions have taken place between George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, and Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the contested sculptures.

Sir Keir Starmer ruled out discussing a return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece in his meeting with his Greek counterpart on Tuesday despite claims from Athens that progress had been made on the issue.

Sir Keir Starmer is more likely than Rishi Sunak to agree to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece, George Osborne has suggested. The chairman of the British Museum said that the institution was “still some distance” from an agreement with the Greek government on the historic sculptures,