Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The Bank of England is set to replace images of humans, including that of the UK’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, with animals on its currency notes, the media reported on Thursday.
Historical figures, like Churchill, will be replaced on the country’s banknotes by images of an Atlantic puffin, a barn owl, a buff-tailed bumblebee and a European hedgehog, the Bank said.
The decision to introduce the animals drew criticism earlier in the year, particularly from right-leaning politicians. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called it “the definition of woke.”
That’s despite nature having emerged as the most popular theme in a public consultation the Bank held on refreshing its money last year. Among the 44,000 responses to that survey, historical figures ranked third.
The BoE has proceeded with the plan and this week revealed the four creatures picked following a second consultation that took into account the views of wildlife experts and around half a million members of the public.
“We have chosen four distinct and inspiring animals that not only showcase the great variety of wildlife we have in the UK but will also enhance the security of our banknotes,” said Victoria Cleland, the chief cashier, who announced her departure in the summer.
The production of the new banknotes will also try to make the cash more resistant to counterfeiting. A decision has yet to be made about which animal will adorn which denomination, while the process to introduce new notes will take a “few years,” the Bank said.
Churchill has been on the £5 note for the last decade, while other notes feature the author Jane Austen, painter JMW Turner and Second World War code-breaker Alan Turing. On the reverse side, all notes show the monarch, King Charles III.