The Bank of England announced Monday that 18 species of British wildlife have been shortlisted to appear on the next series of banknotes, opening a month-long public consultation on which animals will replace historical figures including Sir Winston Churchill. The shortlist, chosen by a panel of wildlife experts and conservationists, spans mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and fish in what the Bank described as a celebration of the country’s natural heritage.
The move has been politically contentious since the Bank disclosed earlier this year that the reverse side of banknotes would no longer feature notable historical figures, ending a practice dating to 1970. Political leaders across the spectrum criticized the removal of Churchill, with Reform leader Nigel Farage saying the Bank proposed replacing figures like Churchill with 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 such a change “with a war waging in Europe.” Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called it “a silly thing to do.”
The Bank said the primary reason for the change was to combat counterfeiting, which requires replacing all images on banknotes over time.
The public can vote for up to six favorites from the shortlist until July 3. However, Governor Andrew Bailey will make the final decision, which may not necessarily reflect the highest vote counts.
“I very much hope the public will enjoy engaging in our consultation to choose the animals to feature on our next series of banknotes,” said Victoria Cleland, the Bank’s chief cashier, whose signature appears on the notes. “The shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife we have to celebrate in the UK.”
The shortlist was chosen by a panel that included wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Nadeem Perera, alongside Ulster Wildlife’s Katy Bell and academics Steve Ormerod and Dawn Scott.
Household pets were excluded, and in a move to prevent joke entries of the “Stoaty McStoatface” variety, the public will not be able to nominate alternatives outside the shortlist.
The mammals on the list are the bottlenose dolphin, brown hare, European hedgehog, grey seal, pine marten and red fox. Among the birds are the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, common kingfisher, Eurasian curlew, great spotted woodpecker and white-tailed eagle. The final category includes the Atlantic salmon, basking shark, buff-tailed bumblebee, common frog, Emperor dragonfly and marsh fritillary butterfly.
Churchill’s granddaughter, Emma Soames, told the BBC she never thought his image on the £5 note “was going to go on forever.” Asked how she would feel if he were replaced by a badger, she said: “Well, lucky badger or lucky grandpapa,” adding that a suitable substitute should be “a very brave and courageous animal.” The badger did not make the shortlist.
The RSPCA had championed rats, pigeons, foxes and gulls as intelligent and “under-appreciated” animals deserving a place. Only the fox appears on the shortlist.
The process of designing, testing and printing the new notes takes several years. The next series will continue to include a portrait of the monarch, as well as images representing the four home nations.
Wildlife already appears on UK banknotes: mackerel, otters, red squirrels and osprey feature on notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.