The Bank of England has selected four British wildlife species to replace historical figures on redesigned banknotes. The Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will each feature as the central image on the £5, £10, £20 or £50 notes, though the Bank has not yet assigned specific animals to denominations.
Three animals won public votes in their categories. The buff-tailed bumblebee received 360,399 votes, nearly 90,000 more than the barn owl. The European hedgehog topped the mammals category. The Atlantic puffin was selected despite receiving fewer nominations than the red fox and common kingfisher because it was the most popular marine animal, allowing the Bank to celebrate Britain's coastline and add variety to the series.
A wildlife expert panel drew up a shortlist of 18 species across mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and fish. More than 2.5 million votes were cast by 478,531 people, ranging from wildlife enthusiasts to primary school classes.
The redesign marks the first time since 1970 that the reverse of Bank of England notes will not feature notable historical figures. Current notes display Sir Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing. The Bank stated the primary reason for replacing all images is to prevent counterfeiting, requiring periodic updates to security features.
The move drew criticism from senior politicians. Reform leader Nigel Farage and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey opposed removing Churchill. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it "a silly thing to do". Churchill's granddaughter expressed happiness with the change.
Rhys Phillips, the Bank's incoming chief cashier, said designing, testing and printing the new notes could take years. The designs are in early stages and will be unveiled closer to launch. The banknotes will combine the four wildlife images with cutting-edge security features and materials science.
Wildlife already appears on banknotes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, which features mackerel, otters, red squirrels and osprey.