Talks over Parthenon marbles 'well advanced', sources say

Talks concerning the Parthenon marbles between Athens and the British Museum are "well advanced", the Guardian has learned, even if officials have decided the cultural row will be low on the agenda when the prime minister, Keir Starmer, meets his Greek counterpart today.

- Helena Smith

The fate of the classical masterpieces, which caused a row last year between Rishi Sunak and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will not be actively raised by either side when the two leaders hold their first Downing Street discussions. Starmer's spokesperson said yesterday: "Our position on the Elgin marbles has not changed."

But sources have said that talks between Giorgos Gerapetritis, the Greek foreign minister, and George Osborne, the chair of the museum, are moving towards "an agreement in principle" to reunify the antiquities in Athens. "The mood music has completely changed," said one source close to the negotiations.