I was rung up yesterday and asked about the British Museum’s renovation plans which I know they have been drawing up, but which, I think, haven’t yet been published – the so-called Rosetta Project. It does need doing, not just in terms of the way the museum looks, but also the way the collection is displayed and presented. Under normal circumstances, raising £1 billion might seem unimaginable, but since the government has been happy to fritter away £37 billion on a malfunctioning track and trace system, which has still not been adequately investigated, and is it £8 billion wasted on unused PPE, then £1 billion spent renovating one of the greatest museums in the world feels quite good value. It wouldn’t be that difficult to set up a separate lottery fund to pay for it – or simply double the money allocated to the Heritage Lottery Fund. Something for the Secretary of State to leave as a legacy.

https://www.ft.com/content/c3df170e-b064-448c-8c4e-64977f6bb8cf