Lord Ed Vaizey, Britain's longest-serving culture minister from 2010 to 2016, has undergone a dramatic transformation regarding one of the art world's most contentious debates. The man who once staunchly defended keeping the Parthenon Sculptures in London now co-chairs the Parthenon Project, a campaign dedicated to returning these ancient Greek treasures to their homeland.
The meeting in Athens came about almost by chance. Months earlier, Vaizey had mistaken a journalist for a member of the Parthenon Project during a brief conversation about the sculptures. This small error led to an invitation for him to visit Athens, where he was found relaxing in the lobby of his Lagonisi hotel, eyes closed against the Mediterranean heat.
"How do you stand this heat?" he asked as they moved to the hotel's seaside restaurant for their interview. Despite the sweltering temperature, the waterfront setting provided an idyllic backdrop for discussing one of the most heated cultural debates of our time.
Vaizey was in Athens for less than 24 hours to participate in a panel discussion about the Parthenon Sculptures at a conference. His presence there represents a complete reversal from his previous position. "I've now obviously done a complete 180, and I really can't think of any argument why they should remain at the British Museum," he admits candidly.
This dramatic change of heart began in 2022 with an unexpected phone call from a public relations firm inviting him to visit the Acropolis. When he asked for more details, he first heard the name John Lefas, a Greek expatriate industrialist who had funded the book "Who Owns History?" by barrister Geoffrey Robertson. Lefas was not only distributing hundreds of copies of this book to influential figures but also organizing trips to Athens for members of the British elite.
In August 2022, Lord Vaizey traveled to the Greek capital with his wife and visited the Parthenon for the first time. The experience was transformative. Upon returning to London, he arranged a meeting with Lefas to discuss what he describes as "a solution that would benefit both sides." When Vaizey expressed interest in helping, Lefas immediately asked if he would chair the Parthenon Project.
"It was tricky for me," Vaizey acknowledges, explaining the delicate position this put him in. "One reason is obviously that I'm a trustee of the Tate. So, to effectively start telling another museum what you think they should do with their collection? It's pretty naughty. And the chair of the British Museum is George Osborne, who is my friend. So again, he doesn't want me telling him what to do."
When asked whether he brought the issue to the Tate's board, Vaizey shakes his head. "No. If I had, I probably would have been told not to get involved. There was a point in time where the Department of Culture was going to tell me off and tell me to stop doing it, but I think, luckily for me, there were so many changes of prime minister and so many changes of ministers that the rude letter they were going to send me never got sent."
Vaizey became a peer after leaving active politics, a distinction he describes with evident pride. "It's a big honor. My wife becomes a lady and my kids are technically honorable, but my wife doesn't use the title. She hates it. But it is a huge honor because you get to sit in the House of Lords and you get to legislate. So, of all the honors, it is the most prestigious."
His brief Athens visit was necessitated by parliamentary duties – he had to return to London for a crucial vote on the future of hereditary peers, an institution the Labour Party wanted to abolish but his Conservative Party sought to preserve. The House of Lords ultimately backed the move to block the expulsion of hereditary peers from the upper chamber.
Beyond his parliamentary duties, Vaizey maintains a busy schedule working with think tanks, consulting with technology firms, and hosting a weekly show on Times Radio. As co-chair of the Parthenon Project alongside Baroness Thangam Debbonaire, he gives interviews, participates in debates, and engages in public discussions – all on a pro bono basis. "It shouldn't be now that I think about it," he jokes about the unpaid position.
Regarding criticism of his advocacy for returning the sculptures, Vaizey appears unperturbed. "The newspapers love it as an issue, and they can jump up and down and say I'm selling Britain down the river, but most normal people are either not that interested or feel that it's the right thing to do."
Two months after assuming leadership of the Parthenon Project, Vaizey met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in London. The meeting took place in the private dining room of a Mayfair restaurant, with Lefas and other Project members in attendance. This connection was established when Lefas sent a copy of Robertson's book to the Greek Prime Minister's Office, opening a discreet channel of communication.
The diplomatic tensions surrounding this issue became evident when British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a scheduled meeting with Mitsotakis in December 2023, reportedly in response to the Greek leader's BBC interview comments about the Parthenon Sculptures. Vaizey believes there were additional factors behind this diplomatic snub.
"I know that he was being advised by a very close friend of his, Oliver Dowden, who was a senior cabinet minister and who is very opposed to the marbles going back," Vaizey explains. "I also suspect that the prime minister thought – it was close to coming up to an election and the government was unpopular – that even a small thing like being rude to the Greek prime minister about the marbles would be helpful and please the right wing. But I think most people actually saw it as slightly silly, unhelpful and rude."
When reminded of the optimism that followed Labour's electoral victory in October 2024, when a deal between Athens and the British Museum seemed within reach, Vaizey's assessment is more tempered. "This government is very unpopular right now. From a political point of view, on a cost-benefit analysis, most politicians will think, 'Is the pain worth the game?' So even if you agree that the sculptures should go back, do you want to go through it all."
However, he sees a crucial difference in the current government's approach. "But if the British Museum does make a deal, this government won't intervene. They will say, 'Fine, we respect the decision of the British Museum.' Whereas the last government would say, 'No, no, no, we're going to pass emergency legislation.' So that hasn't changed."
Vaizey believes strong political leadership could resolve the issue quickly. "If you had a prime minister who just stood up tomorrow and said, 'It's so obvious the marbles should be reunited, I would support any move by the British Museum to return the sculptures.' Think the row would last 24 hours and then everyone would say, 'What was all the fuss about?'"
Regarding his comments about Greek benefactors potentially helping fund the British Museum's massive renovation, Vaizey clarifies that these weren't direct appeals to wealthy Greeks. "It's very unclear what would make a difference. My view is that they're going to be renovating the museum for the next 10 years and there will come a point when the marbles have to move. This is a perfect opportunity for Greece."
The Parthenon Project's most recent London event featured notable attendees, including Greek Prime Minister's wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis. According to Vaizey, she spoke about ongoing discussions that have shown signs of progress, as well as Greece's proposal to offer ancient masterpieces on loan in exchange for the sculptures' return.
Vaizey has suggested that Agamemnon's gold funerary mask could be one such exchange piece. When asked if this is officially on the table, he responds, "That's one that I understood would potentially be available. Something that could work well, something that almost has as much resonance in the world as the sculptures themselves, as a level of the quality that people would want to see."
During the ride to the airport, Vaizey enthusiastically discusses another aspect of his vision: reimagining the British Museum's Greek collection. "We imagine a very sophisticated exhibition not only of classical artworks, but also a kind of telling the story of our relationship with Greece – Britain has a proud story to tell in terms of supporting Greek independence and at the same time, ancient Greece has had a profound influence on British culture. So you could tell that story in a reimagined British Museum with priceless Greek artifacts. It's long overdue. It's the perfect opportunity."
He credits this idea to Stephen Fry, the popular British writer, actor, and presenter who is also an active Parthenon Project ally. "Stephen is my nemesis," Vaizey says with good humor, recounting how the previous day, people approached him for photographs and thanks for his work on returning the sculptures. "I was flattered, of course – until one of the group looked at me and asked, 'You are Stephen Fry, right?'"
This case of mistaken identity highlights the growing public awareness and support for the campaign, even as the political and institutional challenges remain formidable. Vaizey's transformation from opponent to advocate represents a significant shift in the debate surrounding these ancient treasures, and his insider knowledge of British political and cultural institutions provides unique insights into how this decades-long dispute might finally be resolved.
