British Prime Minister Sunak was due to meet Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis in London on November 28, but the meeting was called off at the last minute after a diplomatic row erupted over Mitsotakis' demand that the British Museum return the Parthenon marbles.

According to the BBC on November 27, a diplomatic row has broken out between the British and Greek governments over the Parthenon sculptures. Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis was scheduled to meet Sunak in London on the 28th, but the British government canceled the meeting at the last minute.

A spokesman for the Greek prime minister said Mr Mitsotakis was "disappointed" that the meeting had been cancelled "at the last minute". In addition, Mitsotakis also refused to hold an alternative meeting with the British Deputy Prime Minister.

The meeting was cancelled a day after Mr Mitsotakis told the BBC that the Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece.

A spokesman for the Greek Prime minister's office told the BBC: "The prime minister is disappointed that Prime Minister Sunak cancelled the bilateral meeting at the last minute. Greece and the UK have a deep history of friendship and cooperation, and the Greek government is very surprised by this decision. The prime Minister looks forward to discussing a range of topics of mutual interest, including the conflict between Israel and Gaza, Russia's aggression in Ukraine, climate change, and common challenges such as migration, and of course the Parthenon sculptures."

A source with knowledge of the mood within the Greek government said Mitsotakis was "confused" and "annoyed". The meeting between Sunak and Mitsotakis was scheduled to take place at lunchtime on the 28th and last nearly 45 minutes.

But Mitsotakis' comments on the BBC program angered Sunak. The British government confirmed the cancellation of the meeting and proposed a meeting between the Greek prime minister and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden.

A senior Tory source said: "Comments about the Parthenon marbles before the meeting made it impossible for the meeting to go ahead. Our position is clear, the Parthenon Marbles are part of the permanent collection of the British Museum and they belong here."

Mitsotakis earlier met with the leader of Britain's Labour Party, Kyle Starmer. After the meeting scheduled for the morning of the 28th, he will return to Greece on the 28th and refuse to meet with Dowden.

The Parthenon Marbles are also known as the Elgin Marbles. The Elgin Marbles are part of the Parthenon marbles that the then British ambassador Lord Elgin bought from the Ottoman Emperor of Turkey, disassembled and shipped back to England. The sculptures were eventually sold to the British Museum, where they soon became the museum's most valuable collection. The Elgin Marbles are the finest of the Parthenon sculptures.