Churchill may be dropped from banknotes for diverse designs
Banknotes have featured notable historical figures since 1970, when William Shakespeare became the first person other than the monarch to be depicted.
The Bank said it wished to give the public 'the opportunity to express their views on what theme they would like us to feature on the next series of our banknotes' over a month-long consultation.
Winston Churchill on the £5 note
Although notable historical figures remain an option, the Bank is expanding possible subjects to architecture and landmarks, arts, culture and sport, noteworthy events in history, technological innovations and nature. People who are alive, other than the monarch, will be excluded.
Victoria Cleland, the Bank of England's chief cashier, said that gender, ethnicity and disability could be taken into account when planning the designs.
She said: 'Banknotes are more than just an important means of payment — they serve as a symbolic representation of our collective national identity and an opportunity to celebrate the UK. I am really keen to hear what themes the public would like to see represented on the next series of notes.'
A £10 note featuring Jane Austen
CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/REUTERS
The public will be able to suggest their own ideas for themes or for people who should be included but the final decision will be made by the governor of the Bank, Andrew Bailey, to avoid the embarrassment of a 'Notey McNoteface'.
The consultation raises the potential for Stonehenge, oak trees, fish and chips or football to appear on notes. Cash in Scotland and Northern Ireland already carries images of landmarks and nature, such as otters.
JMW Turner on the £20 note
ALAMY
A mock-up series of designs published alongside the consultation launch feature images of the Angel of the North, wind farms and the DNA double helix.
Although the use of cash has declined over the past decade, cash is still the preferred payment method for about one in five people and used by many more. The Bank said it was committed to providing cash for those who wished to use it.
People can submit their views through an online form on the Bank's website, or by post, by the end of July.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Finextra
20 minutes ago
- Finextra
NatWest to deliver buy-to-let mortgages on Landbay
NatWest Group has announced a partnership with Landbay, a leading fintech platform for buy-to-let mortgages. 0 The agreement will see NatWest Group enter the growing Limited Company buy-to-let mortgage market leveraging Landbay's award winning lending platform, and extensive broker distribution network. Nigel Davey, Head of Buy to Let, Home Buying and Ownership at NatWest Group comments, 'Today's announcement is an important partnership for our Home Buying and Ownership business. Landbay's industry expertise and market agility enables fast access to the dynamic professional landlord sector'. Professional landlords play a critical role in ensuring the ongoing supply of good quality housing stock. NatWest will fund a suite of buy-to-let mortgage products to professional landlords for the first time, delivered under the Landbay brand. This represents another step in our growth strategy which aims to make the home buying and ownership experience simpler for buyers and brokers. ' John Goodall, Chief Executive at Landbay, said: 'This partnership deal is great news for intermediaries and their clients: it will help us broaden our offering to brokers and professional landlords - an important and growing segment of the buy-to-let market - providing them even greater choice. 'We are really looking forward to partnering with NatWest Group. It's been great working with Nigel and his team to get the deal off the ground and help them access this market. And it reinforces the reputation Landbay has for originating, underwriting and managing buy-to-let mortgages for other financial institutions. It will be a key driver of growth over the coming years.'
Finextra
20 minutes ago
- Finextra
ClearBank appoints David Samper as group CFO
ClearBank, the enabler of real-time clearing and embedded banking, today announced the appointment of David Samper as Group Chief Financial Officer. 0 Samper will lead the organisation through its European expansion, as well as its next phase of international growth. He succeeds Mark Fairless, who was appointed as Group Chief Executive Officer in March, having previously served as Group CFO since 2023. A seasoned executive with 30 years of experience in financial services across both private and public companies in the UK and overseas, as well as in retail and commercial banking, Samper has significant experience in M&A and strategic finance. He joins ClearBank from Newcastle Building Society, where he served as Group Chief Financial Officer. At Newcastle Building Society, he led a transformative growth strategy that doubled the Society's assets and delivered the successful merger with Manchester Building Society. His earlier career included senior finance roles at Sainsbury's Bank and Natwest Group. Samper brings a strong background in strategic finance, capital markets, investor relations, regulatory engagement, and technology transformation, all critical to supporting ClearBank's continued growth trajectory. His appointment follows ClearBank securing a Credit Institution Licence from the European Central Bank, under the supervision of De Nederlandsche Bank, a key milestone in the bank's internationalisation strategy. Launched in 2017, ClearBank has become one of the UK's leading fintech and embedded banking infrastructure providers. It serves clients such as Revolut, Tide, Chip, TrueLayer, Coinbase, Raisin and Airwallex. The bank has 'passported' into 15 European markets in the past year, with group fee-based income having increased 63% to £53.3m in 2024, and the UK business posted pre-tax profits for the second year running*. Mark Fairless, CEO of ClearBank, said: 'I'm thrilled to have someone of David's experience and calibre join the business. His deep expertise across finance, strategy and regulation, spanning both public and private sectors, brings tremendous strength to our leadership team. As we scale to unlock our clients' potential, his contribution will be key to ClearBank's next phase of international growth'. David Samper, CFO at ClearBank, said: 'ClearBank's reputation for technological innovation, best-in-class regulatory compliance and a strong growth strategy makes it one of the most exciting financial services businesses to be a part of. I'm delighted to be joining at such a pivotal time and look forward to supporting the next phase of growth in the UK and abroad.'
South Wales Guardian
20 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Rolls-Royce shrugs off tariff pressures as profits soar
Shares in the company surged to a new record level on Thursday morning as a result. The FTSE 100 firm said the results showed continued success in the long-term transformation plan first laid out by the company in 2023. On Thursday, the engineering giant revealed that underlying operating profits jumped by 50% to £1.7 billion for the first half of 2025. Rolls-Royce raised its financial forecasts for 2025 as a result, predicting underlying operating profits between £3.1 billion and £3.2 billion this year. It represents a significant upgrade after previously pointing towards profits between £2.7 billion and £2.9 billion. Rolls-Royce, which makes engines used in large Boeing and Airbus planes, said it was supported by a 'strong' performance in its large engines business, as well as margin improvements on contracts. The company said underlying revenues in its civil aerospace arm grew by 17%, with growth of 20% in its power systems division. The London-listed business cheered the 'strong' performance in the face of 'an uncertain external environment, including continued supply chain challenges and tariffs'. It said Rolls-Royce is expecting to fully offset the impact of announced US tariffs through mitigating actions and is also monitoring the potential indirect impact of weaker economic growth and trade tensions. Rolls-Royce also highlighted 'some improvement' in its supply chain, resulting in improvement availability for finished parts, but recorded inflationary pressure in product costs. Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of the company said: 'Our multi-year transformation continues to deliver. Our actions led to strong first half year results, despite the challenges of the supply chain and tariffs. 'We are continuing to expand the earnings and cash potential of Rolls-Royce. 'A strong start to the year gives us confidence to raise our guidance for 2025.' Rolls-Royce shares were 9% higher at 1,077p on Thursday morning.
