Elgin Marbles talks 'collapse' after Greece refuses to accept statues belong to UK in exchange for loan
UK talks with Greece over the future of the Elgin Marbles have collapsed, according to reports.
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Negotiations over the repatriation of the sculptures known as the Parthenon Marbles were launched by Greece in 2021.
The statues were brought to Britain in the early 19th century by Thomas Bruce, eighth Earl of Elgin.
The UK insists the antiquities were legally acquired from the Ottoman Empire - but Greece has long disputed this.
George Osborne, the head of the British Museum, said there was "a deal to be done" over the Marbles returning to Greece.
But the Telegraph has reported that the talks have now ended with no progress towards a deal.
It had been suggested that the Museum would only accept a long-term loan back to Greece under the proviso that the nation accepts the Marbles belong to Britain.
But the Greek authorities would not accept this, insisting on the full repatriation of the statues.
A source told The Telegraph that there were no talks taking place and Athens had signalled that discussions were unlikely to resume'
The collapse comes after the successful deal between the British Museum and France to see the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the Norman Conquest of Britain, return to the UK after nearly 1,000 years while its permanent home was undergoing renovations.