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The Bank of England wants to put animals on its money instead of historical figures, and it’s revealed a shortlist of the creatures that could appear on different banknotes.
Back in March 2026, the Bank of England revealed plans to depict British wildlife on its next set of banknotes in order to “celebrate” different parts of UK culture. This would see prominent figures Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner, and Alan Turing replaced by animals on £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes respectively.
The decision sparked plenty of debate within the country, with Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey saying on X at the time, “Winston Churchill helped defeat fascism in Europe. He deserves better than being replaced by a badger.”
Dolphins, frogs, or foxes could replace Winston Churchill on English money
However, the backlash hasn’t changed the BOE’s plans, as it has now revealed the shortlist of the animals that the public could soon be seeing a lot more of.
The list is broken up into three different categories: mammals, birds, and the combined group of amphibians, insects, and fish. By heading to the official Bank of England website, the public can select two from each category that they would like to see on cash going forward.
There are 18 animals in total, including the bottlenose dolphin, red fox, grey seal, barn owl, great spotted woodpecker, basking shark, and common frog.
“The shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife we have to celebrate in the UK,” said Victoria Cleland, the Bank of England’s chief cashier.
Bank of England
Although the winners won’t entirely depend on the vote, “the views of the public will be an important consideration in making the final decision on the design.” The final four will also depend on how easily they are to distinguish from one another and how hard they are to counterfeit.
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While these animals will replace the historical figures on the back of a note, the front will still feature the current monarch, King Charles III.
