Why it’s time for British banknotes to recognise ethnic minorities

The Bank of England's failure to acknowledge BAME figures sends a damaging message.

The facade of the headquarters of the Bank of England in London on October 6, 2011. The Bank of England on Thursday reactivated extraordinary stimulus measures by agreeing to inject £75 billion into a British economy caught up in a global slowdown and raging eurozone debt crisis. Following a two-day policy meeting, the BoE voted in favour of increasing its quantitative easing (QE) policy by £75 billion (86 billion euros, $115 billion) to £275 billion over a four-month period. AFP PHOTO/ ADRIAN DENNIS (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

My co-lead for the Banknotes Of Colour campaign, Dr Patrick Vernon OBE, wrote on Monday that it was a victory for diversity and LGBT issues for Alan Turing to be recognised on the next £50 note. We believe Alan Turing to be a giant of British history.

However, our complaint is with the Bank of England’s selection process, especially the attitude of senior staff to BAME campaigners. We have not been taken seriously (despite our petitions receiving over 150,000 signatures). We have been met with a wall of legalese to the effect that the Bank has fulfilled its Public Sector Equality Duty.