The author is a 'clear candidate' to replace Charles Darwin on the notes, says the Bank of England
Jane Austen could be gracing our purses from 2016, as plans are being drawn up to place the famous novelist on £10 notes.
The bank of England's governor Sir Mervyn King said that the Pride And Prejudice author is a 'clear candidate' to replace Charles Darwin on the new note.
The news comes following criticism over the fact that there will be no female figures on any Uk currency from 2016, when Sir Winston Churchill will replace Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note.
Mr King told the Treasury Select Committee this week that Jane Austen had already been selected as a possible replacement for Winston Churchill if the new £5 note suffers technical problems. He added that the novelist was 'waiting in the wings'.
He said: 'Any time we produce a note there are always two notes we have running in parallel – the figure we are actually using and a reserve figure, so if there are technical problems with the first note we can run with the second. That second figure often becomes a figure on the following note.
'The figure that we've been working with for two years, we've said already that it's a woman – I can tell you today it's Jane Austen. That clearly is a candidate for the £10 note down the road.'
How exciting! Initial plans for Churchill's notes show the former Prime Minister next to Parliament's clock showing 3pm – the time on 13 May 1940, when he made his famous speech: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, oil sweat and tears.'
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