WWII leader Churchill to be removed from U.K. banknotes

British 5 pound sterling notes, made from polymer, which were launched Tuesday, Sept.13, 2016.

World War II leader Winston Churchill is to be dropped from the U.K. £5 banknote in favour of a nature scene, sparking outrage from some lawmakers who said he should not be replaced by an otter or badger.

Novelist Jane Austen, artist J. M. W. Turner and mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing, are also due to be phased out on the £10, £20 and £50 banknotes respectively as part of a redesign.

The next series of banknotes due to be issued by the Bank of England will feature animals native to the U.K., in a shift away from images of prominent Britons.

Possibilities, subject to a public consultation, include badgers and otters as well as frogs, hedgehogs, barn owls and newts. Plants and landscapes will complete the scenes depicted.

“For more than 50 years, the bank has proudly showcased many inspirational historical figures who have helped shape national thought, innovation, leadership and values on its banknotes,” the bank said.

“The change to wildlife imagery ... provides an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the U.K.,” it added.

The bank will gather views later this year about the specific wildlife the public would like to feature on the next set of banknotes.

Bank of England chief cashier Victoria Cleland said the key driver for a new series of banknotes was how to stay ahead of counterfeiters.

“Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the U.K.’s rich and varied wildlife on the next series of banknotes,” she added.

‘Shaped this nation’

The new banknotes will not appear for several years.

They will continue to feature a portrait of the monarch King Charles III on the other side. Banknotes with the late Queen Elizabeth II also remain in circulation.

Previous banknotes have pictured other national figures including novelist Charles Dickens, physicist and chemist Michael Faraday, composer Edward Elgar, nurse Florence Nightingale and architect Christopher Wren.

The most recent series -- rolled out between 2016 and 2021 -- was printed for the first time on polymer rather than paper.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, was among lawmakers who criticised the new nature theme.

“Let’s celebrate our wonderful British wildlife, sure, but Winston Churchill helped save our country and the whole of Europe from fascism,” he wrote on X.

“He deserves better than being replaced by a badger,” he said.

Main opposition Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart called the decision “outrageous.”

“He (Churchill) earned his place on our five pound note. He must not be replaced with an otter,” he said on X, adding the “great people who shaped this nation” should not be forgotten.

By Helen Rowe