MP opposes animal product use in new £10 note

Crawley's MP has voiced his opposition to the use of animal products in the new £10 note featuring author Jane Austen.
New £10 note featuring Jane Austen (photo from Bank of England)New £10 note featuring Jane Austen (photo from Bank of England)
New £10 note featuring Jane Austen (photo from Bank of England)

The Bank of England introduced plastic £5 notes last year featuring former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

However they include chemicals derived from animal products and a petition calling for the removal of tallow from the notes gained more than 130,000 signatures.

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The campaign was backed by Crawley MP Henry Smith, who is a vegetarian and member of the all-party parliamentary group for animal welfare.

However the BoE has confirmed that after ‘careful and serious consideration and extensive public consultation’ there will be no change to the composition of the polymer used for future bank notes.

This will mean that the new polymer £20 note and future print runs of £5 and £10 notes will continue to contain tallow.

Last week Mr Smith tweeted: “Very disappointing that Bank of England have decided to continue using animal slaughter derived polymer for their £5 and £10 notes.”

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The new £10 note is due to come into circulation in September, while the new £20 note featuring J.M.W. Turner is due to be issued before 2020.

According to the BoE, the only other current viable alternative would be to use chemicals derived from palm oil, with the cost of switching is estimated to be £16.5m over a ten-year period.

A spokesman said: “The bank fully recognises the concerns raised by members of the public, both prior to and during the consultation, and has not taken this decision lightly.

“The bank also understands that the decision it has reached may not address the concerns of all parties, but in making this decision, the bank has considered very carefully the relevant factors and taken into consideration all of its objectives, including its responsibility to maintain confidence in the currency through the issuance of high quality, secure banknotes and achieve value for money for taxpayers.”

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The petition against the use of animal products in the new polymer banknotes was started by Doug Maw, who lives in Yapton in West Sussex.

He said: “By only having bank notes containing animal parts they are forcing vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others to handle products that directly conflict with their deeply held belief and practices.”

To view the petition visit the change.org website.

For more information on the new £10 note visit the dedicated website.