Parthenon Sculptures belong in UK, says Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan

The Parthenon Sculptures "belong present successful the UK" and should not beryllium returned to Greece, the civilization caput has insisted.

The past artworks, amended known successful the UK arsenic the Elgin Marbles, are presently successful the British Museum.

Reports person suggested the museum's chairman, George Osborne, is adjacent to agreeing a woody with Greece.

Michelle Donelan told BBC Radio 4's The Media Show that permanently returning them was "not his intention".

In a wide-ranging interview, she told maine sending the sculptures to Greece would "open a tin of worms" and beryllium a "dangerous roadworthy to spell down".

It would "open the gateway to the question of the full contents of our museums", she said.

The classical marble sculptures are portion of a frieze that decorated the Parthenon temple successful Athens. They were removed successful the 19th Century by British diplomat and worker Lord Elgin. The British authorities bought them successful 1816 and placed them successful the British Museum.

Last month, Greek paper Ta Nea reported that talks betwixt Mr Osborne and the Greek authorities were astatine "an precocious stage".

The British Museum is prevented by instrumentality from permanently returning the artworks to Greece. But determination was speculation that a woody could impact the sculptures heading to Athens connected indebtedness successful rotation, successful instrumentality for classical objects that person ne'er been seen extracurricular Greece before.

Greece has been pushing for years to get the artworks back.

Ms Donelan's assertion that she volition not alteration the law, which is "in the close place", volition beryllium met with choler successful Athens and beyond.

She said she'd had "several conversations" with Mr Osborne, the erstwhile chancellor. "I deliberation his presumption connected this has been misinterpreted and surely portrayed wrongly," she said.

"He's not astir to nonstop them back, basically. That's not his intention. He has nary tendency to bash that. There's besides been this conception of a 100-year indebtedness mooted arsenic well, which is surely not what he's readying either.

"He would hold with maine that we shouldn't beryllium sending them back, and really they bash beryllium present successful the UK, wherever we've cared for them for a large woody of time, wherever we've allowed entree to them."

The BBC has approached Mr Osborne for comment.

Separately connected Wednesday, the Greek premier curate said a woody to get the sculptures backmost was not imminent.

But Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is hoping to triumph a 2nd word successful bureau successful July, said: "If the Greek radical spot america again, I judge we could execute this people aft the elections."

The Greek civilization ministry has antecedently said the country's "firm position" is that "it does not recognise the British Museum's jurisdiction, possession and ownership of the sculptures".

The Parthenon Project, which has been campaigning successful the UK for a "win-win" solution to reunite the objects, said determination was nationalist enactment for a woody and that "we request to stay unfastened minded astir the benignant of solution George Osborne is putting forward".

A spokesperson said: "The authorities has ever made wide that this is simply a substance for the British Museum but present that constructive talks betwixt the British Museum and Greece person been confirmed, they look to beryllium changing their mind."

Lord Vaizey, civilization curate from 2010-2016, inactive believes a woody is possible. He chairs the project's advisory body. He told maine that Ms Donelan's comments had "left country for George Osborne to proceed to negociate his imaginative connection for a taste concern with Greece".

Ms Donelan besides commented connected the contention surrounding Jeremy Clarkson's caller file astir the Duchess of Sussex.

In December, aft the Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary aired, Clarkson wrote successful the Sun paper astir his "hatred" of Meghan, comparing her to serial slayer Rose West.

He talked of wanting her to beryllium "paraded bare done the streets" and dreaming of "people throwing lumps of excrement astatine her".

Ms Donelan told me: "I support his close to beryllium capable to accidental what helium wants."

The file sparked a grounds 25,000 complaints to IPSO, the property regulator, which is present investigating.

Clarkson aboriginal said helium was "horrified to person caused truthful overmuch hurt", and the Sun apologised and took the nonfiction down.

The civilization caput told maine she "categorically" doesn't align herself with the comments, but said: "I judge successful state of code precise strongly… I deliberation helium had the close to accidental what helium wanted to say."

Last week, Ms Donelan announced the authorities would reverse its arguable determination to merchantability Channel 4.

Her predecessor Nadine Dorries had said privatisation could rise £2bn and support Channel 4 successful the long-term.

But Ms Donelan said she had reviewed the concern lawsuit and concluded that taking the broadcaster retired of nationalist ownership was not the champion mode to guarantee its sustainable future.

Ms Dorries has criticised the determination connected Twitter, arsenic portion of a wider critique. "Three years of progressive Tory authorities being washed down the drain," she claimed.

Ms Donelan told maine she spoke to Ms Dorries earlier the decision. "She's entitled to her sentiment connected these things… She comes astatine this from a antithetic constituent of view, but we some stock that interest astir sustainability," she said.

Ms Donelan denied the archetypal determination to privatise Channel 4 had been ideological, with immoderate adjacent suggesting it was payback for a transmission perceived arsenic anti-conservative.

"Fundamentally what fuelled this docket successful the archetypal spot was astir sustainability and looking aft taxpayers' interests… As portion of the package, I'm delighted that we managed to get Channel 4 to hold to treble their concern successful skills to £10m."

The transmission volition besides treble the fig of jobs extracurricular London.

Before she became civilization caput successful September, Ms Donelan referred to the BBC licence interest arsenic an "unfair tax".

In this interview, she told me: "I haven't shifted my sentiment astatine all."

The authorities plans a reappraisal of the TV licence, which funds the BBC. Ms Donelan described the corp arsenic a "national asset" that needs to beryllium sustainable successful the long-term.

"I deliberation the licence interest connected its ain volition beryllium problematic if we are to marque definite that the BBC continues to beryllium the fantastic nationalist work broadcaster that it is," she said. "So I think, yes, that we bash request to look astatine this agenda."

Listen to the afloat interrogation connected The Media Show connected Radio 4 astatine 16:30 GMT connected Wednesday and on BBC Sounds. If you're funny successful issues specified arsenic these, delight travel maine connected Twitter.