Overview
- The monarch’s portrait will remain on the front of the notes, with native wildlife to appear on the reverse of the £5, £10, £20 and £50 denominations.
- Current reverse portraits — Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, J. M. W. Turner and Alan Turing — will be phased out in the next series.
- A panel of wildlife experts is drawing up a shortlist of species, and the public will be asked this summer to choose which plants, animals or landscapes should feature.
- The Bank says security is the primary driver, arguing that nature imagery better supports clear, easily checked anti-counterfeiting features.
- Issuance is several years away due to design, testing and production timelines, and initial political reactions highlight disagreement over retiring historical figures.