The U.K. is mired in a bizarre culture war after its central bank announced it was shifting away from featuring historical figures such as Winston Churchill on banknotes — a move inevitably condemned as “the definition of woke.”
But the controversy warrants unpacking.
On Wednesday, the Bank of England announced images of wild animals and nature would replace portraits of iconic people on the face of four bills.
Churchill, the World War II leader often seen as the greatest Briton, currently features on the £5 note, with author Jane Austen, painter J.M.W. Turner and scientist Alan Turing on the others. William Shakespeare was the first historical figure to appear in 1970.
The banknotes have featured monarchs since Queen Elizabeth II first starred on the currency in 1960, and King Charles’ portrait will continue to appear on the next series of notes.
