We may be a nation of animal lovers, but replacing Winston Churchill with a frog is a step too far.
The Bank of England has decided to swap the well-known historical figures on our banknotes with a shortlist of 18 native animals, following a public consultation.
This means we could soon see Winston Churchill replaced by an Atlantic salmon, Jane Austen by a grey seal, JMV Turner by a common frog, and Alan Turing by a woodpecker.
The decision to do this has already been made, and the public is now being asked to vote on the final shortlist of native species. The Bank of England will then design, develop and manufacture the banknotes – a process likely to take years.
Some may see this as a harmless change, progress even. Others may ask: what’s wrong with celebrating British wildlife?
But I can’t help wondering why this change is happening at all.
Could it be that, in our increasingly fractious society, it is simply easier for us all to agree on an animal rather than a historical figure?
The Bank of England has made diversity and inclusion a central part of its public messaging. Indeed, it even has a Black Heritage Sponsored Internship (which has received some backlash).
A shortlist of 18 native animals has been selected as alternatives to Britain's most famous wartime Prime Minister
|GETTY
Perhaps it now sees historical figures as more trouble than they’re worth – opening the Bank up to criticism, endless campaigning and accusations about representation.
After all, Sir Winston Churchill has become a lightning rod, a hate figure even, for left-wing activists. During the Black Lives Matter protests, his statue was defaced with the words “was a racist”. It was vandalised again during Extinction Rebellion demonstrations, and later branded a “Zionist war criminal” by pro-Palestinian activists.
At the same time, campaigners have argued that Britain’s banknotes do not adequately reflect modern society. The Guardian has pointed out that all 24 historical figures to appear on Bank of England notes have been white, while only three have been women.
So perhaps the Bank has concluded that animals are simply safer. No protests. No campaigns. No ideological battles over who deserves recognition and who does not.
Call me a cynic, but I suspect this decision is less about celebrating wildlife and more about avoiding controversy altogether. And in today’s Britain, replacing Churchill with a salmon may simply feel easier than defending him.