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Boris Johnson once believed that the Elgin Marbles should 'never have been removed from Greece's Acropolis, a letter reveals.
When serving as Mayor of London ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, Mr Johnson wrote to a Greek official to say that 'in an ideal world' the marbles should never have come to Britain.
They were were taken from the Parthenon in Athens by the then British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin, between 1801 and 1812, and are now on display at the British Museum.
The Government has recently been under increasing pressure to return the marbles, with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last week insisting that they were 'stolen'.
However, it has been the UK's long-standing position that the Marbles were acquired legally. Mr Johnson also insisted last week after Mr Mitsotakis's comments that any decision on returning them has to be made by the British Museum.
Around 260ft (80metres) of the Marbles are in London, whilst Athens is home to a smaller 164ft (50metres) section.
Boris Johnson once believed that the Elgin Marbles should 'never have been removed from Greece's Acropolis, a letter reveals
When serving as Mayor of London ahead of the London Olympics in 2012, Mr Johnson (pictured this week) wrote to a Greek official to say that 'in an ideal world' the marbles should never have come to Britain
In his 2012 letter, which was revealed by The Guardian after originally being published in local Greek newspaper Proini, Mr Johnson said: 'This is a matter on which I have reflected deeply over many years.
'In an ideal world, it is of course true that the Parthenon marbles would never have been removed from the Acropolis and it would now be possible to view them in situ.'
But he added that the 'reality' is that it is 'impossible' to restore the Marbles to their 'original location on the template'.
The future PM said that, because the 'glorious' sculptures have been in London ever since they were removed and that they now form the 'centre piece of the greatest museum
