Bank of England unveils new £20 note

The Bank Of England has taken the wraps off its new £20 banknote, which now carries the portrait of composer Sir Edward Elgar. The primary purpose of the new design is to take full advantage of the bank’s updated developments in printing and anti-counterfeiting technology. The £20 note was picked instead of other notes for a redesign because it is understood to be the most commonly forged denomination. An in-house design team handled the sensitive project. A Bank of England spokeswoman denies newspaper reports that the bank replaced Michael Farraday’s portrait with Elgar’s because the composer is more hirsute and therefore more difficult to counterfeit. ‘We’ve chosen Elgar because of his achievements and not his moustache,’ she says.