Boris Johnson dismisses out of hand the latest request from Greece to return the Parthenon sculptures, currently exhibited in the British Museum, on the grounds that they were “legally acquired” by Lord Elgin and have since been “legally owned” by the museum’s trustees (Boris Johnson rules out return of Parthenon marbles to Greece, 12 March). It is difficult to know what “legally” is supposed to mean here, but their contentious removal remains under increasing international scrutiny. Perhaps the museum’s trustees thought it sufficient to dispense with the inscription of Elgin’s name by which they were previously exhibited, a name that still emblematically evokes Britain’s imperial looting project of the 19th century. Historians today are asking searching questions about Britain’s imperial past and its present legacy, so it is unfortunate to have such an unreflective prime minister as Johnson treating the subject with characteristic disdain. He will find that this issue will not be going away. Dr Ian Brookes University of Nottingham • Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of the British Museum’s acquisition of the Parthenon marbles, Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is not being honest about the supposed cultural benefit of sending them back to Greece. You quote him claiming that the Parthenon will be united and that the marbles must be seen “in situ”. Is he going to crane up the marbles and staple them back on to the walls, most of which don’t exist any more? It is physically impossible to see the marbles in their original context. Regardless of whether they are in London or in Athens, they are going to be in an entirely artificial gallery – conveniently selfie-height, certainly, but not improved nor in the least bit genuine. There’s also the problem that several of the Parthenon’s sculptures are still attached to the ruin – if you really wanted to “unite” the monument, you’d have to knock them off to move them downstairs. There are legitimate arguments for repatriation of the Parthenon marbles, but the cause is not improved by pious cant about enhancing their historical value. Robert Frazer Stockport, Cheshire • Perhaps the problem is the proprietorial name of the current building in which these marbles are housed. How about the “World Museum in London”? Hugh Cooper Ashford, Kent