Barn owls, bees, puffins and hedgehogs to feature on UK banknotes

The BoE's decision in March to no longer feature famous Britons on future banknotes, in favour of native wildlife, dismayed politicians across the political spectrum and prompted speculation that the central bank wanted to avoid controversies around historic figures.

The BoE said the change would make its banknotes more distinctive and harder to counterfeit, and followed a public consultation where people had been invited to choose between different categories of images.

Almost 500,000 people voted on a selection of 18 animals released by the central bank in June.

The buff-tailed bumblebee was the most popular creature on the shortlist, followed by the barn owl and the European hedgehog. Red foxes and common kingfishers received more votes than the Atlantic puffin, which the BoE selected to ensure a marine animal was on the list.

"I am delighted that nearly half a million people responded to our wildlife imagery consultation, showing that cash still matters," BoE Chief Cashier Victoria Cleland said.

Cash usage has fallen steeply in Britain in recent years, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which led to almost all retailers accepting contactless card and smartphone payments.

Under 10% of payments were made by cash in 2024, but trade body UK Finance said it expected the decline to level off as a small percentage of Britons strongly preferred to use cash.

The new banknotes will continue to feature the monarch. The £5 Churchill note, issued in 2016, is the first due to be replaced, followed by the £10 with novelist Jane Austen, £20 with artist JMW Turner and £50 with mathematician Alan Turing.