British Museum recovers some of 2,000 stolen items

Some of the estimated 2,000 artefacts stolen from the British Museum have already been recovered, George Osborne has said.

- SOPHIE WINGATE

The former chancellor, who is now chair of the museum's trustees, said "groupthink" may have prevented the institution's leadership from believing that treasures had been taken.

Director Hartwig Fischer has resigned and his deputy Jonathan Williams has stepped back in the wake of the scandal, which Mr Osborne conceded had damaged the British Museum’s reputation.

An unnamed member of staff suspected of involvement has been sacked and the museum said it is taking legal action, while a police investigation is underway.

Mr Osborne told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday: “We have started to recover some of the stolen items, which is a silver lining to a dark cloud.”