PREMIER Rishi Sunak appeared to lose his marbles today, petulantly cancelling a meeting with the Greek prime minister in a row over Lord Elgin’s loot.

Just hours before visiting premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis was due to visit No 10 to discuss the Ukraine war, migration, Gaza and other international issues, Mr Sunak declined to go ahead with the meeting.

Mr Mitsotakis in turn refused the offer of a substitute get-together with Deputy PM Oliver Dowden and went back to Athens, a Greek not bearing gifts.

What was not returning to Greece were the so-called Elgin marbles, removed from the Parthenon early in the 19th century by Lord Elgin and now in the British Museum.

The Greek leader had offended Mr Sunak by publicly repeating the position of all Greek people that the marbles should be restored to their original site in Athens.

Mr Sunak’s undiplomatic huff was doubtless driven by his desire to keep stoking the culture wars beloved of the Tory right, one of the precepts of which is that British looting and pillaging was broadly a good thing.

No 10 blamed Mr Mitsotakis for breaching an agreement not to raise the issue.

“Given those assurances were not adhered to, the Prime Minister felt it would not be productive to hold a meeting dominated by that issue rather than the important challenges facing Greek and British people,” a spokesman said.

Greek officials denied that any such pledge had been made and accused the British government of committing a “diplomatic foul.”

The marbles, meanwhile, remain likely to be loaned back to Greece under plans being worked on by the British Museum.