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30 Mar 2020

British Museum appoints Mary Beard to as trustee following government veto

The British Museum has named Mary Beard as its a new trustee, a move which comes less than a year on from the British government blocking her nomination because of her pro-European views.

Under its rules, of its 25 trustees, the museum can pick people, with Downing Street approving the rest. Made towards the end of Theresa May's Conservative government-run, The Observer reported that the decision to reject her initially has been because of her support for the EU, which she frequently expresses on social media.

Beard, who is and noted English scholar and classicist, and also a professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, will take up the role for an initial period of four years. She joins the likes of Grayson Perry, Dame Vivian Hunt and Sir Richard Lambert on the Board of Trustees, which meets quarterly to consider issues of strategic significance for the museum.

"I have been a huge beneficiary of this and other museums in the country over the past 60 years," said Beard, speaking to The Observer. I'm delighted to be able to give something back."

Speaking to the Press Asssociation, a government source said that "the current administration is delighted to see Mary Beard appointed and has no reservations over her appointment, which should have happened sooner".