Bank of England to replace Churchill and Austen with wildlife on new banknotes

The Bank of England has announced that British wildlife will replace historical figures on a new series of pound sterling banknotes. Images including former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, currently featured on the £5 note, and writer Jane Austen on the £10 note, will be withdrawn from circulation. The institution also confirmed that the portrait of King Charles III will be retained on the obverse of all denominations. This decision marks a departure from the long-standing tradition of honouring distinguished Britons on the reverse of payment instruments. The new designs are expected to enter general circulation within the next few years.

The change is a direct result of public consultations conducted in July 2025. The opinion survey involved 44,000 people, of whom 60 percent voted in favour of a nature and native fauna theme. A special panel of experts is currently preparing a shortlist of animal and bird species that could adorn the new payment instruments. The final selection of specific representatives of the British ecosystem will again be put to a public vote. The central bank has not yet revealed an exact timetable for presenting the final graphic designs.

44 000 (osób) — number of participants in the Bank of England's public consultation

Victoria Cleland, serving as Chief Cashier at the Bank of England, pointed to the practical benefits of this change. According to her, the intricate anatomical details of animals are significantly harder for counterfeiters to replicate precisely than portraits of people. The new security features are to be integrated into the polymer substrate on which British money is printed. The tradition of placing historical figures on Bank of England notes had continued uninterrupted for over half a century.

„Wildlife imagery offers a higher level of counterfeit resilience due to its intricate textures and patterns” — Victoria Cleland via BBC

The first historical figure to appear on a Bank of England note was William Shakespeare, immortalised on the £20 note in 1970. Since then, figures such as Florence Nightingale, Isaac Newton, Adam Smith, and Alan Turing have graced the currency. Banknote designs are systematically updated every few decades to introduce more modern security features and make counterfeiting more difficult. The current reform is the first in history to completely abandon portraits of people in favour of nature-themed motifs.

Results of public consultation (July 2025): Wildlife: 60%, Other motifs: 40%

Change of imagery on banknotes: Reverse of £5 note: Winston Churchill → British wildlife; Reverse of £10 note: Jane Austen → British wildlife; Obverse of all denominations: King Charles III → King Charles III (unchanged)

Evolution of figures on British banknotes: 1970 — Debut of historical figures; July 2025 — Public consultation; 11 March 2026 — Decision announcement