Puffin CHOSEN OVER kingfisher as hedgehog, barn owl and bumblebee replace Churchill on new banknotes

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026 · last updated 9 October 2026.

Kemi Badenoch has accused the Bank of England of 'erasing our history' after it announced that Britain's next banknote series will replace historical figures — among them Winston Churchill — with an Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog. The decision followed a public consultation that drew nearly 500,000 responses, making it the largest in banknote history.

The puffin's inclusion proved controversial: it ranked sixth in the public vote with 183,137 selections, yet beat the more popular kingfisher and red fox after Bank officials decided they wanted a marine species to widen the range of subjects featured.

The buff-tailed bumblebee topped the overall poll with 360,399 votes; the barn owl led the birds category with 270,596; and the hedgehog was the public's favourite mammal, receiving 259,665 votes.

The move ends a tradition dating to 1970 under which historical figures have featured on notes, drawing criticism from those who branded it 'total bonkers'.