Bank of England Shortlists 18 Animals for New Banknote Designs

The Bank of England opened a public vote on 18 shortlisted animals, birds and insects that could appear on the next series of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes. Voters have until the end of 3 July to choose up to two favourites from each of three categories, and the results will inform but not determine the final selection.

The mammals shortlist includes the bottlenose dolphin, brown hare, European hedgehog, grey seal, pine marten and red fox.

The birds category lists the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, common kingfisher, Eurasian curlew, great spotted woodpecker and white-tailed eagle. The amphibians, insects and fish group comprises the Atlantic salmon, basking shark, buff-tailed bumblebee, common frog, Emperor dragonfly and marsh fritillary butterfly.

An expert panel of wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Nadeem Perera, together with Ulster Wildlife’s Katy Bell and academics Steve Ormerod and Dawn Scott, compiled the shortlist.

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey will make the final decision, which will not necessarily follow the highest public vote totals. The new notes will retain a portrait of the monarch and add images representing the home nations, but the reverse side will no longer carry notable historical figures for the first time since 1970.

Current notes feature Sir Winston Churchill on the £5, Jane Austen on the £10, JMW Turner on the £20 and Alan Turing on the £50.

The Bank of England stated the change is intended to deter counterfeiting, as all images must be replaced periodically. Victoria Cleland, the Bank’s chief cashier whose signature appears on the notes, said the shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife in the UK and expressed hope that the public would enjoy the consultation.

The replacement of historical figures, particularly Churchill, drew criticism earlier this year.

Reform leader Nigel Farage said the plan would replace people like Churchill with a picture of a beaver, though the beaver did not make the shortlist. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he could not think of a worse time to make the change with a war waging in Europe. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it a silly thing to do.

Emma Soames, Churchill’s granddaughter, told the BBC she never thought the image of her grandfather on the fiver was going to go on forever and added that a suitable substitute should be a very brave and courageous animal. The RSPCA had championed rats, pigeons, foxes and gulls; only the fox appears on the shortlist.

Designing, testing and printing the new notes will take several years before they enter circulation.