Mark Carney: Polymer banknotes Remarks by Mr Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the Financial Stability Board, at the Bank of England, London, 18 December 2013. *  *  *  Ensuring public trust and confidence in money is at the heart of what central banks do. Money can only play its invaluable role in our economy if that trust and confidence is maintained. That motivates the Bank of England’s core objectives of price stability, so that people can be confident of the value of their money over time, and financial stability so that they will be able to access and use money when they want to. It is also why we place such importance on maintaining confidence in our banknotes, the most tangible form of money. Our job is to ensure that the banknotes people use are high quality and genuine. We also recognise that banknotes are an important national symbol and a source of national pride. Our banknotes must therefore be secure from counterfeiting, resistant to damage, and designed in a way that inspires broad public support and fosters legitimacy. We are continually working to ensure that our notes meet those requirements. That is why I am pleased to announce today that the next Bank of England notes will be printed on polymer, rather than cotton paper. The first polymer note will be the £ note featuring Sir Winston Churchill, and will be issued in 2016.
For those who might be concerned about the change, let me reassure you that the new polymer notes will retain the familiar look of Bank of England banknotes, including of course the portrait of Her Majesty the Queen, as well as depictions of historical characters of national significance. That continuity of design helps explain why people who have had a chance to handle specimen notes were even more likely to view polymer favourably. The depiction of historical characters will remain an integral feature of our banknotes, providing an opportunity to celebrate individuals that have shaped the United Kingdom. In  BIS central bankers’ speeches  1  order to ensure public confidence in banknotes, it is essential that the choice of characters commands broad public respect and legitimacy. That is why in July, at the same time as announcing that Jane Austen would feature on the new £ note, I promised that we would review the way in which the characters featured on banknotes are selected. Today we are announcing a new set of principles to guide the choice of characters and a new process to ensure that those principles are, and are seen to be, followed. The new principles for character selection state clearly and positively the Bank’s aims in using historic characters on our notes. They put diversity and inclusivity at the heart of the selection criteria. And they make clear our intention to portray a diverse range of characters over time, with each new decision taking into account previous choices.