It's a big day for Ethiopian plunder in Britain's House of Lords today #ethiopia #magdala #maqdala #tabots @britishmuseum @FrMcLuckie whatson.parliament.uk/event/cal38035 
Lord Carey (the ex Archbishop of Canterbury) will be asking his question on the "Return to Ethiopia of 11 sacred altar tablets held by the British Museum" some time after 3pm UK time (1400 GMT). Watch it live here parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/33…
The debate is over. In a nutshell ... Lord Carey said the the tabots should go back to Ethiopia ... The government stalled, saying it was a matter for the British Museum. What was notable was the number of lords who agreed with Carey - five or six. Quotes to follow...
Lord Carey: "In the light of the fact that the tabots entered the collection of the British Museum after British troops ... looted them ... would he (the minister) not agree that Her Majesty's government bears some basic moral responsibility ... ?"
Lord Boateng: "These items, which are of huge religious significance, were looted, they were stolen after a brutal, punitive expedition. That is the reality. And given that reality, given the fact that they are not able actually to be seen or venerated or studied by anybody ...
Load Boateng: "...wouldn't it be the right thing to do, the moral thing to do, wouldn't it enhance the moral position of ... the British government in their discussions with the Ethiopian government about human rights, if they were to be returned and returned without delay."
@BishopWorcester: "What sets these artefacts apart ... is that they are sacred and they relate to a living faith, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church ... Would the minister not agree that they should be returned to those who understand them to be holy and will cherish them as such?"
Lord Bassam @SteveTheQuip: "These highly significant religious artefacts have resided unseen in the British Museum stores for the best part of 150 yrs. My Lords, this can’t be right. Can (the minister) give some comfort to Ethiopia by encouraging the trustees to find a solution."
Lord Foster: "Recognising that only a handful of priests from the Ethiopian Orthodox church in the UK ... can view them, would it not help the trustees of the British Museum to come to the right decision, if the government indicated its support for the return of the tabots?"
I got the numbers wrong. 5 in total - Lab, LibDem, crossbench/bishops - backed returning the tabots. The minister stalled. 3 others - Con/crossbench, 2 of them @britishmuseum trustees - tried to change the subject. The debate starts at 15:29:30: parliamentlive.tv/event/index/33…
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