Some of the 2,000 stolen objects are found by the British Museum.

The British Museum is believed to have lost some 2,000 objects, but some of the priceless artifacts have begun to be found, according to chairman George Osborne.

The former chancellor admitted to the Today show on BBC Radio 4 that "more could have been done" to stop the thefts sooner.

A museum employee who was suspected of being involved was fired.

In addition, the museum's director, Hartwig Fischer, will resign after claiming that a 2021 probe was handled improperly.

One of the most esteemed cultural institutions in the UK, the museum, has been under fire since it was revealed earlier this month that a number of priceless artifacts had been reported "missing, stolen, or damaged."

The museum had previously stated that the artefacts in question ranged in date from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD and had been retained largely for scholarly and research purposes.

We have already started to recover some of the stolen pieces, said Mr. Osborne, who was named chair of the museum in June 2021.

We think we've been the target of thefts for a while, and, to be honest, more could have been done to stop them, he said.

Upon being questioned about the whereabouts of the missing goods, he responded, "Some members of the antiquarian community are actively cooperating with us," adding that the recoveries made thus far were "a silver lining to a dark cloud."

Although he recognized that "others may not," he expressed confidence that "honest people" will return items that have been discovered to have been stolen.

According to Mr. Osborne, the museum is in close contact with the police, and a "forensic job" is being conducted to determine exactly what is gone. He claimed that the museum's security needs to be increased.

Mr. Osborne responded that it was "possible" that top museum staff members engaged in "groupthink" and "could not believe that there was an insider" stealing artifacts when asked why concerns voiced in 2021 were not taken seriously.

He stated he was focused on "cleaning up the mess" despite acknowledging that the episode had hurt the museum's reputation.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police have spoken with a guy about the missing items, but no arrests have been made.

After it was revealed that worries about potential thefts were initially raised two years ago, senior leaders at the museum hurried to explain how they handled the discovery of missing pieces.

Director since 2016, Mr. Fischer announced on Friday that he would step down as soon as a temporary replacement had been chosen.

Previously, he was scheduled to leave office in 2024.

In a statement, he said: "It is clear that the British Museum did not react as thoroughly as it should have to the concerns in 2021 and to the situation that has now become fully apparent.

"The director must bear ultimate responsibility for that failure."

Tim Loughton MP, the head of the all-party parliamentary group for museums and art galleries, has refuted charges that the organization is no longer a dependable steward of its vast collection, which includes more than 80 million artifacts.

He called requests for artifacts to be returned to their native countries "opportunistic" and said other nations should "rally around to help retrieve objects instead of trying to take advantage," according to BBC News culture and media editor Katie Razzall.

In an era where our differences are constantly brought to light, Mr. Osborne said the British Museum plays a crucial role in bringing significant collections from around the world together. He said, "In an age where we are always reminded what divides us, it is a place that reminds us of what we have in common."