A new Policy Exchange report, Principles for Restitution, published today, documents the increasing pressure on UK museum to return artefacts to their country of origin and shows that in too many cases such decisions are being taken on an inconsistent or partial basis. The report also highlights how some museums are using ‘long term loans’ as a form of ‘restitution by the back door’. 

The document sets out eight Principles for Restitution which museum curators and trustees should consider when assessing claims for restitution. 

These are as follows:

1. Stewards must abide by the law of the land, as well as the founding documents, constitutions, statutes, or trust deeds of their institutions. They should also consider any conditions attached to an individual bequest.
2. Stewards should seek impartial and expert advice about whether an item was legally obtained.
3. Stewards should consider the strength of connection between the person or persons calling for the restitution of the artefacts and the origins of those objects. 
4. Stewards should consider the relative significance of the object to the institution in which it currently resides, the global significance of the object, and the significance of the object locally to the group making the claim.
5. Stewards should consider the future preservation of the object. Is there evidence those making a claim have the capacity and intention to preserve it for future generations?
6. Stewards should consider the public accessibility of the object, in both its current position and if it were to be granted to those claiming it. This should include a consideration of the interests of any relevant diaspora.
7. Stewards should consider where the object has the greatest educational benefit. 
8. Stewards should conduct a full consultation of their visitors and the wider public before returning an object.

The paper calls for UK museums to retain artefacts like the Benin Bronzes and the Elgin Marbles, while it identifies that in specific circumstances, such as the recent return of an aboriginal totem pole, restitution can be justified.

The launch of this report was covered by:

• The Spectator
• The Telegraph
• The Express