Designing our next banknotes: Notey McNoteFace?

The Bank of England launched a platform yesterday for anyone to suggest who should be on Britain’s next generation of banknotes.

Here’s the verbatim:

As we begin to design the next series of banknotes, we invite you to share your views on potential themes.

Our banknotes have celebrated notable historical figures since 1970, when William Shakespeare became the first person other than the monarch to feature on a banknote.

However, there are many ways to represent the UK.

We have identified six potential themes for our next series of banknotes:

• notable historical figures
• nature
• architecture and landmarks
• arts, culture and sport
• noteworthy milestones
• innovation

What theme(s) would you like us to use? You can also suggest others for us to consider.

They have a form to fill online with the deadline being before 11.59pm on 31 July 2025.

As a notaphilist many of you will know my love of banknotes and my suggestion, as a David Bowie kid, would obvs be this …

… but the Bank of England has previously ruled this out. Luckily, Brixton didn’t and, in their community, Bowienotes are Brixton banknotes.

But, thinking in wider fields, what would you suggest for these key categories?

• notable historical figures
• nature
• architecture and landmarks
• arts, culture and sport
• noteworthy milestones
• innovation

For nature, I would probably go with species that are endangered in Britain such as the Red Squirrel.

And for landmarks, surely Stonehenge should be on the £10 note?

Victoria Cleland, the Bank's chief cashier, whose signature appears on notes, says that “banknotes are more than just an important means of payment. They serve as a symbolic representation of our collective national identity and an opportunity to celebrate the UK”. Having said that, the Bank is being accused as being the Bank of Wokeness. Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘The Bank of Wokeness wants to ignore our history and heroes to model itself on the unutterable banality of euro notes. It shows a lack of confidence in the nation and a supine kowtowing to the gods of political correctness.”

An interesting debate although, surely, the more important question is whether cash is still needed? Most of us are paying by card, contactless and mobile wallet these days. Cash use has fallen to 12% of transactions as payments technology evolves – it was 51% ten years ago – but the Bank of England has said it is committed to providing cash for those who wish to use it.

Maybe they will change their minds after this vote as the British have a wicked sense of humour. For example, the last time we were asked to name something was a polar research ship, and the winner was Boaty McBoatface. Will our new note be Notey McNoteface? Even worse, is that notable figures chosen include characters like Mr. Blobby.

Seriously?

 

Postscript: the danger is that we move into Royal Mint territory here, who regularly produce commemorative coins from Harry Potter to David Bowie and more.