Who would you like to see on the new polymer £50 note?
This weekend, the Bank of England confirmed that the £50 note will remain part of UK currency and a new batch will be issued after the £20 note in 2020 following a public nomination process to select potential characters to appear on it.
In keeping with the new £5 and £10 polymer notes, the £50 will also be printed on thin, flexible plastic polymer material, making them cleaner, safer and stronger.
In September 2016, the first polymer £5 note featuring Winston Churchill entered circulation in the UK. Its success lead to the Jane Austen £10 polymer note being released the following year and plans for the first polymer £20 note featuring artist JMW Turner to be issued in 2020. It will be down to the public to decide who should appear on the new £50 notes, so who would you nominate?
£20 concept image. Credit: Bank of England.
The £50 note was first introduced in 1981 and there are now 330 million in circulation, totalling a combined value of £16.5 billion!
Recently there have been fears that £50 notes are being used for criminal activity such as tax evasion and are rarely used for standard purchases. However, the Treasury has said that this new batch of polymer notes has been designed to be more secure and harder to forge, meaning that they are here to stay.
2011 £50 note. Credit: Bank of England.
They will also be more durable and environmentally friendly than their predecessors, lasting roughly 2.5 times longer than paper notes.
Sarah John, the Bank’s Chief Cashier, said: “I’m very excited to be starting the process of introducing a new £50 note. At the Bank, we are committed to providing the public with high quality notes they can use with confidence. Moving the £50 note onto polymer is an important next step to ensure that we can continue to do that.”
What are your thoughts on the £50 note and who would you like to see feature on the next polymer batch? Let us know in the comments below!
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On £50 I would like to see STEPHEN HAWKIN.
A GREAT SCIENTIST IN THE 20th Century.
Stephen Hawkins – British and Brilliant!
I think they should put princess Diana should be put on the £50 note It x just assume it’s rarely seen or used as not many people wanfvto take them in shops
Sir Harold Gillies, surgeon in the First World War, although from New Zealand he came to continue his work, he helped countless Soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth who fought in the Great War.It would be appropriate as it is the 100year anniversary of the war ending.
Prince Phillip.
Alan Turing for his work in world war 2.
Professor Stephen Hawking would be my vote. He played such a crucial part of British history, and his name is known synominously across the planet as the most brilliant minded man whos lived in the last 400 years. He made theoretical physics a more commonly heard of subject, which has gained more people caring about it than ever before. He had a mind which could do the most incredible of theorising and equations without a calculator or computer. It seems only right that the professor gets the largest denomination since his brain could handke big numbers 🙂
Sir Isaac Newton as it has to be a scientist on the new note apparently.
isambard kingdom brunel our greatest ever engineer
Sir Stephen Hawkin an inspiration to millions worldwide
Hi I think Timothy John Berners-Lee, is an English engineer and computer scientist, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. The inventor of the Web has called for everyone to have access to his creation for free.
Barry Chuckle – and it should also be law that whenever you hand one over in a store, the cashier says “To me”, and you reply, “to you”.
WHAT ABOUT UNCLE ALBERT FROM ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES SAYING ; during the war ;
Sir Timothy John Berners – Lee with an image of the World Wide Web
Tyndale and Wycliffe –2 people who translated the Bible so the ordinary person could understand it -a huge step forward for the people
Edith Cavell.
I would like Prof Stephen Hawking or Alan Turing to be on the new £50 note. I think it should be someone who has made a difference to British history, so either of these two would be my choice !
Sir Patrick Stuart
A nice big Union Flag for after Brexit.
Definatly lady Diana although would the royal family agree I’m sure both her sons would love the idea I know I’d love my mum to be on anything that kept her memory fresh in peoples minds
Admiral Nelson …..thanks to him we fought off the evils of europe ,pity we havent got someone like him around today to battle for a good brexit deal!
Sir Bobby Robson best manager in the world respected by loads and the sir Bobby Robson foundation has done loads for charity
Edith Cavell, heroic figure from WW1 when we are commemorating 100th anniversary of end of WW1.
John Lennon would be great
How about Karl Marx (serious suggestion) – recognising at the same time the contribution that people of all nationalilities have made.
Personally, I would like to see the WWF Panda on the new fifty pound note.
After all, turning all our money into horrible plastic must have an environmental effect? We’re told every day that plastic is evil, yet there is some hair-brained scheme to turn all our money into plastic. Money will truly represent evil at this rate.
Hopefully the WWF Panda will be a constant reminfer to us and those in power to switch back to nice, environmentally friendly, cotton bank notes.
After all, they were more durable, if nothing else.
Beatrix Potter?
Sir Terry Pratchett
nigel farage
For his efforts for brexit.
Alan Turing. Brilliant WW2 mathematician and codebreaker. The father of modern computing who effectively shortened the war by 4 years and saved millions of lives. Unjustly persecuted for homosexuality he committed suicide, which was a colossal tragedy and huge loss for this country.
I absolutely agree. Alan Turings work at Bletchley Park arguably shortened the war by two years,
saving hundreds of thousands of lives. He ( because of his Homosexuality was treated in an appalling manner by the establishment, it was disgraceful in the extreame. ( I think his DSO, was sent to him in the post) which, in my opinion only compounded his awful treatment by the Homophobic Establishment. He gave the Nation his brilliant intellect, and dedication. Instead of being feted as a Hero he was osterised by the Establishment and consigned to obscurity. A source of National Shame that in 2018 MUST be addressed by acknowledging his VITAL contribution to the War Effort.
Bobby charlton survived Munich and helped Manchester United rebuild to win the European cup and win the World Cup in 66 , if he hadn’t survived non of these historic events would never have happened and I’m sure he would be pleased to see it and he also played in the red of Manchester United which would be fitting with a red £50 note
Sir David Attenborough
The Bank of England only puts people who have passed away of historical significance, so Sir David Attenborough is still alive. A nice idea, he might feature on a banknote in the future after he passes away.
Lady Diana Spencer Princess of Wales.
Bruce Forsyth in his iconic pose
I’d like to nominate Prof Stephen Hawking. He’s been involved in so many things and had a brilliant mind.
Ada Lovelace & Charles Babbage on the new polymer £50 note together!
Constance Leathart: The forgotten ‘aviatrix’ of WW2 who disguised herself as a man in order to gain her pilots license and fly fighters and bombing raids in world war 2.
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson?
The founder of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan.
Alfred Russel wallace
Edward Jenner
Lord Joseph Lister
Sir Patrick Moore
Sir Alexander Fleming
A. Bevan
Dr Samuel Johnson
GEORGE BEST A TRUE LEGEND IN FOOTBALL ⚽️
Guy Fawkes. Seriously though, William Wilberforce.
Princess Diana
I agree lady Diana
Sir John cockroft for nuclear power
Lord nelson
I think Either Albert Einstein or David Attenborough.
Only one person for the £50 note…Stephen Hawking.
Geoff Capes, athletics legend, 2 times world strongest man and tv personality.
I would like to suggest that Henry John Patch “Harry Patch” the UK’s last person from the !st world War to survive before his death at 111 years old a true hero.
Best suggestion yet other than Freddie Mercury that way we would have 2 queens on 1 note
Princess Diana
This is the perfect suggestion.
Mark omrod Royal marine triple amputee competitor at the invictous games