Churchill removed from banknotes, granddaughter dismisses controversies

The granddaughter of Winston Churchill has strongly rejected the 'anti-woke' controversy sparked by the right in the United Kingdom following the announcement by the Bank of England that it intends to remove the effigy of Sir Winston Churchill, the prime minister who led the victory against the Nazis in World War II, from British banknotes, along with other great figures from national history, to replace them with birds and wildlife.

"I don't feel particularly shocked, worried, or disturbed," Emma Soames told the Bbc, emphasizing that she knew the presence of the statesman on the £5 notes would be temporary.

She then expressed disagreement with the statements made by Nigel Farage, leader of the Trumpian Reform UK, who even referred to it as "woke madness", claiming a drift of political correctness on the part of the central bank, also involving the Labour government of Keir Starmer.

"It is a wonderful institution and has every right to decide who to put on its banknotes - Soames clarified - I don't think anyone, certainly not in my family, thought that the effigy should stay there forever: it has been there for ten years and here we are, the ten years are up."

Words that further dismantle the arguments of the right in light of the transparency of the process followed by the Bank of England.

The decision was made after an initial public consultation in which nature emerged as the most popular theme for the aesthetics of the banknotes, followed by one on the final appearance of the notes.

But above all, it is standard practice for images to change, with the only constant being the depiction of the monarch, currently King Charles III.

Finally, there is a security element: images of wildlife are much more difficult to counterfeit.