The new rules will provide some museum trustees with a more straightforward route for returning cultural objects to communities of origin.
The UK Government is to implement a change in law that will make it easier for museums in England and Wales to restitute objects from their collections on moral grounds.
The rule change was passed as part of the Charities Act 2022, but the relevant provisions were put on hold by the previous Conservative government amid concerns that they would override the statutes that prevent some museums, mostly nationals, from freely deaccessioning objects.
In a 2024 letter, the then-minister for arts and heritage wrote to the chair of the Charity Commission saying the provisions would be deferred to give legislators more time to “fully understand the implications”.
Stephanie Peacock, the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has now announced that the long-delayed provisions will finally come into force on 27 November.
Peacock confirmed that 16 museums would be specifically excluded from the legislation, including the British Museum, Tate and the National Gallery, due to the existing statutory restrictions on those organisations.
