There is widespread fury over changes to the £5, £10 and £20 banknotes. Sir Winston Churchill could be replaced by a FROG on banknotes - with critics branding the Bank of England "the woke brigade."
New designs unveiled
The Bank of England has unveiled new designs for the fiver, as well as tenner and £20 notes, featuring a bee, a butterfly and a woodpecker. The notes currently feature Conservative Party icon Churchill on the fiver, and Jane Austen (£10), artist JMW Turner (£20) and codebreaker Alan Turing (£50).
Political backlash
The Tories' party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: “The woke brigade have got their hands on everything else, now they are coming for our currency. Churchill, Austen and Turing earned their place in history. They earned their place on our money too. The Bank of England should think again.”
The public have until July 3 to pick their favourite nature-themed images for the notes. Governor Andrew Bailey will have the final decision.
Bank of England statement
The Bank of England said: "A panel of wildlife experts from across the UK has helped us develop a shortlist and we would like to hear which animals you would prefer to see on our banknotes. The shortlist includes a range of native animals found across the UK. They have been grouped into three categories which cover a variety of species and environments. Featuring a range of different animals across each of the banknotes will help make them easily recognisable to the public."
It added: "In 2025, we asked the public which theme they would like us to use on the next series of our banknotes. Nature received the highest proportion of nominations, as well as the most support in the focus groups we commissioned. Much of the feedback referred to images of animals that are native to the UK. This reflects how important wildlife is to the public. Animals are vital to our landscapes, ecosystems and everyday lives. They have long inspired iconic works of art, music and literature, and we are excited to showcase them on our next series of banknotes."
