52% of Britons Back Return of Parthenon Sculptures, but Talks Stay Deadlocked

A majority of Britons now support sending the Parthenon Sculptures back to Athens permanently, even if Greece lends nothing in return.

A YouGov poll of 2,452 adults, commissioned by the Parthenon Project and published by The Times on Saturday 15 November 2026, found 52% back permanent return to Athens. Twenty per cent want the sculptures kept at the British Museum. Support rises to 58% if return forms part of a broader cultural agreement between Greece and Britain.

The Parthenon Project said the results showed "only one in five Britons now think" the sculptures should stay in London.

The poll lands while the formal negotiation track is described as deadlocked. Talks between the Greek government and the British Museum began in 2021. Legal ownership has remained a central obstacle throughout. A June 2025 Kathimerini report said 80% of issues had been agreed, but the remaining 20% was proving difficult, with the scope of any return among the sticking points. In September 2026, a Telegraph report said the talks had collapsed, with Athens indicating discussions were unlikely to resume, though communication channels remained open.

Separately, in May 2026, 20 countries at UNESCO's ICPRCP session backed Greece's request for permanent return.

The British Museum is redeveloping its Western Range, which includes the Duveen Gallery that houses the sculptures.

If a majority of Britons favour return even without a loan exchange, the political cost of keeping the sculptures in London may be shifting. But the legal ownership question and the scope of any return remain unresolved.