Bank of England Unveils First Plastic Note Featuring Churchill

  • Governor Mark Carney promoted new fiver at Blenheim Palace
  • Central bank is in a self-imposed purdah before EU referendum

The back of the new plastic £5 note.

Source: Bank of England
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Bank of England unveiled the full design of its first plastic banknote Thursday, featuring U.K. wartime leader Winston Churchill.

“Polymer marks a major innovation. It is cleaner, safer, and stronger,” Governor Mark Carney said at Blenheim Palace, Churchill’s birthplace in Oxfordshire, England. “Polymer notes can survive a splash of claret, a flick of cigar ash, the nip of a bulldog, and even a spin in the washing machine afterwards to boot.”