Rishi Sunak has made it clear that there is one deal with the EU he will not consider after he dramatically snubbed the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis just shortly before the two were supposed to have a summit.
The British Prime Minister has put his foot down over demands that the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece from the British Museum.
The meeting was supposed to be talking about security, trade and mutual interests, but Mitsotakis let slip over the weekend that he intended to ambush Mr Sunak about the disputed ancient treasures, which were rescued from Athens by Lord Elgin in the 19th century.
A spokesman for the Greek prime minister told the BBC that he was “disappointed” the meeting had been cancelled “at the 11th hour”.
While Downin g Street confirmed Mr Sunak had cancelled the meeting.
Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer met Mitsotakis amid growing fears that he would send them back from the British Museum to the Parthenon as part of a deal.
Mr Mitsotakis revealed his true agenda on the Laura Kuenssberg show on Sunday when he discussed the marbles with her.
He said: “If I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in half, and have half at the Louvre and half at the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting in such a way?”
A spokesman for the Office of the Greek Prime Minister told the BBC: “The prime minister is disappointed that Prime Minister Sunak cancelled their bilateral meeting at the 11th hour today.”
“Greece and Britain have a very deep history of friendship and cooperation, and the Greek government is extremely surprised by this decision.”
He added: “The prime minister was looking forward to discussing a range of topics of mutual interest including the Israel-Gaza conflict, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, climate change, as well as common challenges such as migration, and of course the Parthenon Sculptures.”
But while the Greek Prime Minister was said to be “annoyed”, sources close to Mr Sunak made it clear Mitsotakis’ posturing over the marbles had made the meeting impossible.
A senior Conservative source said: “It became impossible for this meeting to go ahead following commentary regarding the Elgin marbles prior to it.
“Our position is clear – the Elgin Marbles are part of the permanent collection of the British Museum and belong here. It is reckless for any British politician to suggest that this is subject to negotiation.”
