There’s only one winner from the Elgin marbles row – George Osborne

Call him snippy, call him stupid, but Sunak was right to snub the Greek PM, writes Emily Sheffield. Better that than agree to loaning him the marbles – and falling into Osborne’s PR trap…

Visitors look at the Parthenon marbles at the British Museum (EPA)

Amid the fallout from the latest diplomatic row over the custodianship of the Parthenon marbles (previously known as the Elgin marbles), one general view has quickly taken hold – that Rishi Sunak was petulant and rude to cancel his meeting with the Greek prime minister. I beg to differ.

Imagine Sunak travelling to the USA for a meeting with President Biden, in a politically sensitive year, and first meeting with Trump, and then going on television, when he didn’t need to, and giving a big public interview using strong language around a contentious issue between the two. Do we think Biden would have cancelled that meeting with Sunak? Hell, yes.

Mitsotakis knows Sunak is under pressure, and that young Labour supporters are on the side of restitution. His endgame is not “a loan” as George Osborne, the current chair of the British Museum, keeps suggesting. Mitsotakis wants them returned – even he now describes it as “reunification” not ownership.