𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Kemi Badenoch warned that replacing Sir Winston Churchill with pictures of wildlife on banknotes is “erasing our history”. The Bank of England is set to switch from showcasing people from Britain’s history, including the former prime minister, to wildlife imagery.

But the Tory leader branded the move a “silly thing to do”. She said: “I think that removing Churchill from banknotes is erasing our history. I’m a huge fan of Winston Churchill. I think that he is very much believed to be this country’s greatest wartime prime minister.”

Mrs Badenoch said: “This is not a problem at all. It’s not something that needs to be solved.

“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 said the change provides an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the nation.

It also said it would make it more difficult for the notes to be faked while making security features more distinguishable.

The move follows a public consultation in which the UK wildlife theme received the highest proportion of nominations.

Victoria Cleland, chief cashier at the Bank of England, said: “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.

“I look forward to hearing about the public’s favourite wildlife during our forthcoming summer consultation.”

A second consultation will take place this summer to gather views on the specific wildlife the public would like to feature, which can include plants, landscapes and animals.

It will be several years before the new banknotes are issued and they will continue to show a portrait of the monarch.