- By Brian Wheeler and Nick Beake
- BBC News
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer says Rishi Sunak ‘lost his mind’ by canceling meeting with Greek PM
Rishi Sunak has accused the Greek prime minister of trying to “show off” the Parthenon sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.
Mr Sunak defended the cancellation of a meeting with the Greek prime minister this week.
At a fiery meeting in PMQs, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Never mind the British Museum, it’s the Prime Minister who has obviously lost his mind.”
The prime minister said it had become clear that the meeting “was not intended to discuss substantive issues for the future.”
He said it was “more about getting noticed.”
“Why the hell are we still talking about these damn marbles?” » asked a senior Conservative MP.
The MP argued the party needed to focus on Labour’s spending plans, not a 200-year-old disagreement with Athens.
“(Mr Sunak) is rubbish at foreign affairs and would not have known the impact of such a snub,” said a former minister.
“Every time we meet the Greeks, we take the same lines. And they have theirs too,” the MP added, highlighting how long the UK and Greece have been at odds over the sculptures.
At PMQs, Sir Keir Starmer – who met Mr Mitsotakis on Monday – said the Greek prime minister was “another NATO member, an economic ally, one of our most important partners in the fight against ‘illegal immigration”.
But instead of taking advantage of a meeting with him to “discuss these serious issues”, the Prime Minister “tried to humiliate him and canceled at the last minute”.
He asked: “Why such a small policy?
Mr Sunak said: “Of course, we are always happy to discuss important substantive issues with our allies, such as tackling illegal immigration or even strengthening our security.
“But when it was clear that the purpose of a meeting was not to discuss substantive issues for the future, but rather to bring forward and revive issues from the past, this was inappropriate.
“Also, when specific commitments and specific assurances on this subject have been made to this country and then broken, it may seem foreign to it, but my view is that when people make commitments, they must hold.”
Mr Mitsotakis met Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer in London on Monday.
The debate then turned to migration, with Mr Sunak saying Sir Keir wanted closer cooperation with the EU, saying the Labor leader backed “Brussels over Britain” every time.
Sir Keir accused the Prime Minister of suggesting that meeting the Greek Prime Minister was “somehow supporting the EU instead of discussing serious issues”.
He accused Mr Sunak of digging “deeper into the hole he made for himself”, adding: “Instead of dealing with the facts, he is waging his own individual war against reality.”
Downing Street said it had received assurances that Mr Mitsotakis would not publicly push for the return of the Elgin Marbles during his visit, but the Greek leader discussed the subject with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday.
The Parthenon sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, are on display at the British Museum
Mr Mitsotakis, for his part, declared that his falling out with Mr Sunak would not have a long-term impact on relations between Greece and the United Kingdom.
Returning from his ill-fated trip to the UK, the Greek prime minister insisted the two countries had relations of “significant historical depth” which would not be negatively affected by the row.
He claimed that the events in London had actually benefited the Greek people.
“There is a positive side to canceling this meeting,” he said.
“Greece’s righteous demand for the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures has received even more publicity, not only in the UK, but also among global public opinion.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Greece’s foreign minister said he hoped the two countries should work together to find a solution to return the marbles to Greece.
Giorgos Gerapetritis, who met his British counterpart Lord Cameron on Tuesday after the escalation of the conflict, said: “The reunification of the Parthenon sculpture is a demand based not only on history and justice, but also on cultural value ecumenical.”
The Elgin Marbles are the name commonly used for a collection of ancient Greek treasures from the Parthenon in Athens that were taken and brought to the United Kingdom by the British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.
Greece and the United Kingdom have long-standing positions on the sculptures.
