The Deputy Prime Minister branded the selling of human remains online “abhorrent” after hearing that colonial-era body parts are being listed for sale by auction houses and on social media.
Opening Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said bones could be bought on websites such as Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy and Gumtree.
She said she had met with the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology who had “highlighted a loophole in the Human Tissues Act” which allows them to be auctioned and sold.
These listing were “frequently disguised as modified items or replicas”, according to the Clapham and Brixton Hill MP.
She told the Commons: "This is including a foetal skeleton posed under a glass dome, a human thigh bone turned into a cane, a human jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old, often from indigenous communities in Africa and Asia stolen during colonial expeditions.
"Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that it is abhorrent for human remains regardless of their origin or age to be sold by auction houses and on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy and Gumtree?"
Ms Rayner described the sales as “abhorrent”.
Replying, she added: "It's absolutely horrifying to hear the account of what [Ms Bell Ribeiro-Addy] mentions and I absolutely agree that that's abhorrent.
"And while the Human Tissue Authority strictly regulates the public display of human remains, with fines or imprisonment for breaches, it does not cover sales or purchases, however, I will ensure that a meeting is made with the appropriate minister to discuss the troubling cases that she raises."
Earlier this year an auction house in Dorset sparked anger by listing over a dozen ancient Egyptian skulls, dated between 1550 – 1292 BC, for auction.
Dan Hicks, Professor of Contemporary Archaeology at the University of Oxford, said at the time: “Twenty ancient Egyptian human skulls from the second Pitt Rivers collection are up for auction in Dorset.
“A grim reminder that it’s still possible for people (and auction houses) to profit from selling the body parts of African people in the UK today.”
