Jess Phillips has squirmed in response to a grilling over what the Government’s plans for the Elgin Marbles.
The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls was speechless when she was asked by Sky News presenter Kay Burley “what are we going to do about the Elgin Marbles?”.
The Labour MP, who seemed caught off guard by the question, said: “Gosh, do you know what Kay, I don’t know what we’re going to do about the Elgin Marbles.”
Ms Burkey pressed her on what she would like to happen to the treasures currently housed in the British Museum.
Greece has long demanded for the return of the friezes which were removed from the Parthenon in Athens when it was under Ottoman rule.
Ms Phillips said: “It’s a raging debate in my head with my husband. There’s probably a perfectly sensible solution that can be come up.
“It seems that two friendly nations can probably get over this particular issue. In the public, it’s very rarely raised with me on the doorstep what’s going to happen to the Elgin marbles not withholding my husband’s keen interest.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for a bilateral meeting at No10 this morning.
Lord Elgin, who was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire of which Athens was a part, removed half the sculptures from the ruins of the Parthenon between 1801 and 1805, with permission from the Ottoman authorities.
Pavols Marinakis, a Greek government spokesman, said the “reunification” of the sculptures is an “ongoing request” under discussion with the British Museum.
A formal request to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece was first made in 1983 and there have been a number of discussions since.
