The Conservative Party has launched a national petition to prevent the Bank of England from replacing historical figures on banknotes with images of wildlife. The move is a last-ditch effort to counter plans that would remove national heroes such as Winston Churchill, Alan Turing, and Jane Austen from currency.
Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart criticized the Labour government, suggesting Chancellor Rachel Reeves could intervene to halt the changes. He accused ministers of using the Bank of England's independence as an excuse to avoid responsibility for what he described as "woke nonsense."
"Rachel Reeves and other Treasury Ministers just stood idly by when they could have intervened to tell the Bank of England to drop this woke nonsense of replacing Winston Churchill and other national heroes with pictures of wildlife," Burghart stated. "But it is not too late for Ministers to see sense."
The Bank of England's decision reportedly stems from research indicating that historical figures on current banknotes were perceived as "too elitist and divisive" and not representative of the UK's "cultural and natural diversity," presenting a "backward-looking vision of the UK." The Bank itself has stated that research showed a public preference for nature on banknotes, and Bank Governor Andrew Bailey emphasized the need for periodic design changes to combat counterfeiting.
However, critics argue that removing prominent historical figures is a step too far. Retired British Army officer Colonel Richard Kemp remarked, "without great and courageous figures like Churchill and Turing, we may have swastikas on our banknotes today."
The Conservatives claim that parliamentary inquiries and reviews of Bank of England documents show no effort by Ms. Reeves to block the changes. They contend the government has not sought to alter a Memorandum of Understanding that designates the Bank as solely responsible for banknote design.
"Reeves is hiding behind this memorandum of understanding but she could very easily have changed it if she only had the will to do so," Burghart said. Ms. Reeves's office has been approached for comment.