British Museum’s director resigns, says he didn’t take warning about possible theft seriously enough

Brian Melley | The Hill | 25th August 2023

The British Museum Director has abruptly resigned due to the multi-year theft of over one thousand precious items. The story has the usual elements – incompetence, complacency and whistleblower abuse. Much more consequentially, the debacle erodes the Museum’s assertion that it is an exemplary custodian of cultural treasures. That capability has been a key argument in its refusal to return the Parthenon Marbles and other colonial-era treasures.