His government Rishi Sunak clashed with him George Osborne when he tried to interfere with the appointment of a new director of the British Museum, which is chaired by the former minister.

The museum, which is in the midst of a theft scandal 1,800 artifacts from his collection, appointed Nicholas Callinan, former head of the National Gallery, its new director at the end of March.

According to sources close to the process who spoke to the Guardian, the managers of the selection committee had been instructed by No 10 to submit two names to Sunak, from which he or his representative would choose the new manager. Osborne reportedly rejected Downing Street’s request, which is against normal practice.

The registrars usually inform the prime minister of their decision on the new director in order for it to be officially ratified. No 10’s request was the latest in a long line of attempts to interfere with the independence of public institutions. In 2020, the government vetoed the internationally renowned historian Mary Bird to take over as curator of the British Museum when her name was on the table.

Byrne was rejected by Downing Street because of the of her pro-European views, which he has often expressed through social media. However, because five of the 25 positions on the museum’s board can be appointed without government approval, the trustees appointed her themselves.