British wildlife will replace historical figures on the next series of Bank of England (BofE) banknotes, ending a tradition that has lasted for more than 50 years. The decision follows a public consultation in which nature emerged as the most popular theme for future banknote designs.
According to the Bank, nature was selected by around 60% of respondents as a preferred theme.
The BofE claimed that introducing a new series of banknotes provides an opportunity to strengthen security features while also highlighting aspects of British culture and identity. According to the Bank’s chief cashier Victoria Cleland,
The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience, but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK.
Her signature will likely appear on the redesigned notes.
A panel of experts will now draw up a shortlist of wildlife species that could appear on the currency. The group includes wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Miranda Krestovnikoff, and Nadeem Perera—alongside conservationist Katy Bell, and academics Steve Ormerod and Dawn Scott. The public will then be invited to vote on which animals and birds they would like to see featured.
Television’s Perera welcomed the initiative, saying wildlife is deeply connected to British culture:
The wildlife of the UK is not separate from our culture. It sits in our football crests, our folklore, our coastlines and our childhoods. Giving it space on something as symbolic as our currency feels both overdue and significant.
The monarch will continue to appear on the front of Bank of England notes, as has been the case since 1960. The new wildlife designs are expected to enter circulation in the coming years after the selection process is completed.
The proposal has drawn criticism from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who accused the Bank of England of going “PC mad and loony” over the change. In a video posted on X, Farage said:
Our great British banknotes are produced by the Bank of England, and they have on them giant figures like Winston Churchill.
He criticized the woke plans to replace historical figures on future banknotes with images of wildlife. Likewise, the satirical writer Gareth Roberts wondered
Was anybody out there really furrowing their brow and tapping their watch, fuming: ‘WHEN, OH, WHEN will there be an otter on a fiver?’
More seriously, Roberts noted that even the UK’s woke Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is now fuming about the pending “Churchill/squirrel exchange” of imagery.
