British Museum says ‘no decisions taken’ about BP deal

This article was first published by the Museums Association.

The British Museum says no decisions have been taken about its relationship with the oil giant BP after reports that the 27-year partnership has come to an end.

The museum’s most recent five-year deal with the multinational expired in February following the closure of the BP-sponsored exhibition, Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt.

Last week the anti-oil group Culture Unstained, which has been campaigning for the museum to drop BP as a sponsor for more than a decade, said that evidence obtained though Freedom of Information requests confirmed that the museum has no other agreements or records of any discussions with BP about a future sponsorship or other partnership. The group hailed the news as a “massive victory” for the anti-fossil fuel movement.

However a museum spokeswoman told Museums Journal that reports confirming the end of the deal were inaccurate and “no decisions about the future of the partnership have been taken”.