Petitions/Amend the British Museum Act 1963 to Allow Repatriation to All Nations
StatusOngoing
Opened15 Jun 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Amend the British Museum Act 1963 so the British Museum can return artefacts acquired during colonial rule or conflict to nations that request them. We also ask the Government to work towards a treaty or international partnership framework supporting conservation facilities in nations of origin.

Amend the Act so artefacts can be returned when any nations request them with educational replicas kept in British Museum. Online records show It holds: over 110,000 objects from Egypt and Sudan, 64,928 items from Greece, including the Parthenon Sculptures, 52,518 items from India, 10,068 items from Australia, including Indigenous artefacts, 10,991 items from South Africa, 9,439 items from Ghana, 7,240 items from Kenya, more than 900 artefacts taken from Benin, and 80 Ethiopian artefacts, including 11 tabots. We also ask the Government to work towards a treaty or international partnership framework supporting conservation facilities in nations of origin.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Jo Stevens
1Jo Stevens MP
Cardiff East
15
Stephen Doughty
2Stephen Doughty MP
Cardiff South and Penarth
13
Mr Alex Barros-Curtis
3Mr Alex Barros-Curtis MP
Cardiff West
7
Anna McMorrin
4Anna McMorrin MP
Cardiff North
4
Carla Denyer
5Carla Denyer MP
Bristol Central
3
John Lamont
6John Lamont MP
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
3
Dame Meg Hillier
7Dame Meg Hillier MP
Hackney South and Shoreditch
2
Joy Morrissey
8Joy Morrissey MP
Beaconsfield
1
Preet Kaur Gill
9Preet Kaur Gill MP
Birmingham Edgbaston
1
Phil Brickell
10Phil Brickell MP
Bolton West
1