Whitehall officials call for more minority figures on banknotes | UK | News
The Cabinet Office presentation, which called for a wider range of groups to be represented on future banknotes, has reopened debate over the Bank of England’s decision to move away from historical figures.
Equality and Opportunity Office officials have called for greater visibility for women, disabled people, ethnic minority communities and LGBT+ people, while arguing that figures such as Winston Churchill represent only a “limited” view of British identity.
These comments were made in a letter sent to the Bank’s chief cashier during a public consultation on future banknote designs last summer.
The statement, released under the Freedom of Information Act after being obtained by The Telegraph, said: “Historical figures can form a powerful basis for collective memory but reflect limited dimensions of historically British identity.
“Greater representation of women, people with disabilities, ethnic minority communities and LGBT+ people will send a strong signal of progress and recognition.”
Why are Churchill and other names at the center of the banknote debate?
The Bank of England has decided that the theme of its next series of banknotes will be nature, ending a 50-year period of featuring historical figures on paper money.
The change has sparked criticism from some who argue that figures such as Winston Churchill, Alan Turing and Jane Austen should continue to appear on British currency.
The Office for Equality and Opportunity is led by Labour’s Bridget Phillipson in her role as Women and Equalities minister.
Senior Conservative MP Alex Burghart, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “Labour has tried to deny any role in the annulment of Winston Churchill and other British heroes.
“But Government officials were caught red-handed conspiring with the Bank of England to remove them from our banknotes.
“Banknotes should feature the greatest Britons, the historical figures who united our country. They should not be elected under Labour’s equality laws.”
A Government spokesman said: “Decisions on banknote design are for the independent Bank of England, not ministers, and has held its own public consultation as part of its work to periodically update banknotes to strengthen security features.
“Officials held consultations as part of the normal legal process, as they did under the previous government during the last review in 2013.”
What theme did the bank choose for future banknotes?
According to the Daily Mail, the Bank of England stated that nature was chosen after a public consultation and the responses showed strong support for the theme.
A Bank spokesman said: “To choose the theme for our next series of banknotes, the Bank sought a range of views through a public consultation last year; the results of this consultation led to the decision to choose nature as the theme.
“The nature theme received the highest number of nominations in public consultations and received positive feedback in Bank-commissioned focus groups.”
The bank said the redesigned banknotes would create an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the country, while also improving security features and making them easier to detect.
The new banknotes will continue to feature the monarch’s portrait and are not expected to enter circulation for several years.
What did the bank note consultations reveal?
The wildlife theme received the largest share of nominations in the Bank’s consultation, with 60 per cent of responses supporting this theme.
Architecture and landmarks were the next most popular choice at 56 percent, followed by important historical figures at 38 percent.
Other categories included arts, culture and sports with 30 percent, innovation with 23 percent and notable milestones with 19 percent.
More than 44,000 responses were submitted via online surveys, emails and designs from schools and the public.
Earlier this year, former Conservative Chancellors Rishi Sunak, George Osborne, Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi joined criticism of the decision to remove historical figures from future banknotes.
