Dr Chris Garrard, co-director of Culture Unstained, has raised concerns about the transparency of British Museum chair George Osborne. Garrard highlighted Osborne's comment that "it wasn’t like we expected anyone to know" about a private viewing of the Bayeux tapestry by billionaire Peter Thiel.
Garrard stated that Osborne, as a holder of public office, has a duty to be transparent. He suggested that Osborne's loyalties might lie more with Peter Thiel, founder of Palantir, than with the openness expected of a national museum.
Osborne also claimed that the British Museum would close without corporate sponsors such as BP. However, Garrard noted that the Science Museum recently ended its long-standing partnership with BP, following similar decisions by Tate and the National Portrait Gallery. Last year, 91% of Museums Association members ratified a new code of ethics advising a transition away from sponsorship by organisations involved in environmental harm or human rights abuses.