The Bank of England is facing a threat of court action for failing to adhere to equality laws following its decision to replace the only historical female figure on English banknotes with a man.
Solicitors acting for feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez have written to the Bank accusing it of failing in its duties to eliminate gender discrimination under the Equality Act.
It comes after the Bank of England's governor, Sir Mervyn King, announced last month that social reformer Elizabeth Fry would be replaced with former prime minister Winston Churchill on the £5 banknote from 2016. "Sir Winston Churchill was a truly great British leader, orator and writer," he said. "Above that, he remains a hero of the entire free world. His energy, courage, eloquence, wit and public service are an inspiration to us all."
More than 23,000 signatures have been added to an online petition set up by Criado-Perez, co-founder of thewomensroom.org.uk, calling for the Bank to reverse its decision to remove the only woman, other than the Queen as head of state, to feature on a banknote. She said: "Mervyn King has a huge responsibility when deciding who appears on our notes. He says himself that banknotes acknowledge the life and works of great Britons. An all-male lineup on our banknotes sends out the damaging message that no woman has done anything important enough to appear. It is not acceptable for such an influential institution to overlook women in this way."
Responding to the petition, the Bank said in a statement: "The Bank has celebrated the lives of eminent British personalities on the back of its notes since 1970. It is usual practice to consider a number of candidates all of whom have been selected because of their indisputable contribution to their particular field of work, recognised with the benefit of lengthy historical perspective, and about whom there exists sufficient material on which to base a banknote design. The final decision is made by the governor but the public are able to suggest names; a list of these is on our website."
Solicitors Deighton Peirce Glynn, acting on behalf of Criado-Perez, have contacted the Bank claiming it has failed in its duties under the Equality Act. Louise Whitfield, who is representing the campaigner, said: "I am astonished that the Bank of England has been unable to think of any great women to appear on their banknotes, given that there are so many. This is the perfect opportunity for a national institution to promote equality but it has failed to do so."
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