New bank notes 2026: After Bank of England revealed wildlife theme - these are the designs the public wanted to see
After the Bank of England revealed the theme for new bank notes would have a wildlife theme - they have now released the list of designs the public said they wanted.
Paddington Bear, Sir David Attenborough, and Sir Winston Churchill were among suggestions for Great British characters to adorn new banknotes. The public ideas were revealed after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request for the most popular suggestions and come after a new wildlife theme for notes was announced by the Bank of England.
It came under fire from the likes of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who labelled the theme “woke”. Sir Winston, heralded for his war-time premiership and who currently features on the £5 note, was the fourth most commonly suggested idea.
Broadcaster, natural historian and environmental advocate Sir David, who will celebrate his 100th birthday next month, was also one of the top submissions. More than 1,000 ideas were related to the controversial wildlife theme, making it the most popular topic.
Paddington Bear, guide dogs and the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree, which was illegally felled in September 2023, were also among the public’s favourites. Other suggestions included the 1966 World Cup, the NHS, and castles and cathedrals.
Reacting to the announcement last month that the notes will feature wildlife, Mr Farage said that replacing Sir Winston with “a picture of a beaver” is the “definition of woke”. He said in a video posted on social media: “This is how PC mad and looney everyone’s gone, including the Bank of England. I think it’s absolutely crackers.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said last month that replacing figures including Sir Winston is “erasing our history”. She said: “If anything, I think that they should be putting more historical figures on banknotes. I would quite like to see Margaret Thatcher on a banknote. I think she was Britain’s greatest peacetime prime minister. Changing the pictures to put wild animals on them is a silly thing to do. I absolutely do not support it.”
The Bank of England invited people to submit their own theme ideas in July last year. The Bank also asked the public to select themes during the consultation period, which saw over 44,000 responses, from a list of six options, including nature, architecture and landmarks, notable historical figures, arts, culture and sport, innovation, and noteworthy milestones.
Nature was the top theme with 60% of respondents choosing it as one of their preferred topics. Another consultation will take place this summer to decide what wildlife will be put on the banknotes.
The current notes feature either the portrait of the King or the late Queen Elizabeth II, with Sir Winston on the reverse of the £5 note, Jane Austen on the £10, JMW Turner on the £20, and Alan Turing on the £50.
New banknotes: Most popular suggestions
Here are the 28 most commonly mentioned themes from the public consultation in order of popularity:
- Wildlife
- National parks
- David Attenborough
- Winston Churchill
- UK values and identity
- Historical events
- Transport
- Science and Technology
- Music
- Bridges
- Food
- Inventions
- Diversity
- Ships
- Women
- Fictional characters
- TV characters
- Sycamore Gap
- Artists
- 1966 World Cup
- Flowers
- Paddington Bear
- Flag
- Legends and folklore
- Farming
- Castles and cathedrals
- Guide dogs
- NHS
Victoria Cleland, chief cashier at the Bank of England, said: “I was delighted by the level of public engagement during our banknote theme consultation last year. The response underlines how important banknotes remain to people.
“The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK. Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the UK’s rich and varied wildlife on the next series of banknotes.”