London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

New design for Britain's most-forged banknote

The Bank of England says the new £20 note featuring artist JMW Turner will enter circulation in February.

The new design of Britain's most common, and most forged, banknote has been unveiled by the Bank of England.

Security features on the next £20 note, featuring artist JMW Turner, will include two see-through windows on the note and a metallic hologram.

In the first half this year, 88% of detected banknote forgeries were £20 notes, the Bank's statistics show.

The new design, which the Bank describes as its most secure, enters circulation on 20 February next year.


Why is the £20 note important?


The most commonly circulating banknote in Britain is the £20 note, with two billion of them in the system.

That is double the number of £10 notes in circulation, and far greater than the number of £5 notes (396 million) and £50 notes (344 million).

The popularity of the note is part of the reason for it also being the most likely to be forged.

The Bank discovered 228,000 counterfeit banknotes in the first half of the year, of which 201,000 were £20 notes.

It has easily been the most commonly forged Bank of England banknote in each of the past 10 years.

The new £20 note will be the first to feature the signature of Sarah John, the Bank's chief cashier, who said: "The new £20 is an important part of our commitment to providing banknotes that people can use with confidence.

"Our polymer notes are much harder to counterfeit and, with the £20 being our most common note, this marks a big step forward in our fight against counterfeiting."

What will the new banknote look like?

The banknote will feature Turner's self-portrait, from 1799, currently on display in the Tate Britain, and one of his most eminent paintings - The Fighting Temeraire - which can be seen in the National Gallery.

In 2005, the painting - a tribute to the ship HMS Temeraire in Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 - was voted Britain's greatest painting in a poll organised by the BBC.

The quote on the banknote - "Light is therefore colour" - comes from an 1818 lecture by Turner at the Royal Academy, where he first exhibited at the age of 15. His signature is from his will in which he bequeathed his work to the nation.


Others features include:

A large see-through window, based on the shape of the fountains in London's Trafalgar Square, with a blue and gold foil on the front depicting Margate lighthouse and the Turner Contemporary gallery in the town


A smaller see-through window in the bottom corner of the note inspired by Tintern Abbey


A metallic hologram which changes between the words "Twenty" and "Pounds" when tilted


The Queen's portrait in the see-through window with "£20 Bank of England" printed twice around the edge


A silver foil patch with the 3D image of the coronation crown


A purple foil patch containing the letter T, based on the staircase at the Tate Britain gallery

Bank of England governor Mark Carney said: "As the new Turner £20 testifies, money can be a work of art in everyone's pocket."

The note is replacing the current £20 note featuring the economist Adam Smith. Of the five characters on banknotes by the end of 2021, other than the Queen only Jane Austen - who has appeared on the £10 note since 2017 - is a woman.


What is the note made of?


The new £20 note will be the third Bank of England banknote to be made from polymer, following the new £5 note and new £10 note. The next version of the £50 note, to be launched by the end of 2021, will also be polymer.

The theory is that the plastic notes will be more sturdy, such as surviving a spin in the washing machine, and be more resistant to counterfeiting.

Banks in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man have issued plastic banknotes in the past.

How was Turner chosen as the face of the note?


The Bank received 29,701 nominations from the public after it announced it wanted to celebrate an artist on the note. Some 590 eligible visual artists were considered for the honour - about a fifth of whom are women.

A brief history of currency from the British Museum


Turner Contemporary: Did art transform 'no-go zone' Margate?


Consumers' credit card spending 'overtakes cash'


What is the least valuable British coin ever?


The list was considered by a Bank committee, which included independent experts. It drew up a shortlist of five - Turner, filmmaker Charlie Chaplin, sculptor Barbara Hepworth, painter William Hogarth, and designer Josiah Wedgwood - from which the Bank's governor, Mr Carney, made the final choice of the English Romantic artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, or JMW Turner (1775 - 1851).

He is known as "the painter of light" and described by artist Tracey Emin as a "wild maverick". The unveiling was held at the Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kent. It was in the town that the London-born Turner, the son of a barber and wig maker, lived and more than 100 of his works were inspired by the East Kent coast.


Who are on other banknotes?


Sir Winston Churchill appears on the Bank of England's polymer £5 note.

Jane Austen was chosen to appear on the plastic £10 note after a campaign to represent women other than the Queen on English notes.

Computer pioneer and codebreaker Alan Turing will feature on the new design of the Bank of England's £50 note, to enter circulation by the end of 2021.

A host of different people have appeared on banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ulster Bank's vertical £5 and £10 notes entered circulation in Northern Ireland in February.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×