Churchill to be replaced on banknotes by UK wildlife

The Bank of England says Winston Churchill will be replaced on the £5 note by native UK wildlife after a public consultation; a second public vote this summer will choose specific animals from an expert shortlist.

Winston Churchill will be replaced on UK banknotes by images of native wildlife, the Bank of England has announced. The change is part of the currency's first major redesign in 50 years and follows a public consultation last summer in which nature emerged as the most popular theme. The Bank says the move also supports efforts to make notes harder to counterfeit. A second consultation this summer will give the public a chance to pick specific animals from a shortlist drawn up by a panel of experts. What is known: - The Bank plans to replace Churchill on the £5 note with native wildlife, and notes showing Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing will also be replaced. - Candidate animals mentioned by the Bank include hedgehogs, badgers, puffins, stags, robins, red squirrels and golden eagles. - Nature was the most popular theme in the consultation, selected by 60% of the 44,000 responses received. - The Bank said wildlife images are likely to help with counterfeit resilience and that household pets will not be included. - An expert panel that includes broadcaster Nadeem Perera will create a shortlist for a public vote this summer, but the Bank's governor will make the final decision. Summary: The redesign represents a shift from historical figures toward natural imagery, reflecting public preference reported in the consultation and technical reasons cited by the Bank. A public vote this summer will select animals from the expert shortlist, with the governor having the final say. The Bank also noted that cash use has declined but remains the preferred payment method for about 15% of the population.