No, Gandhi Isn't Going To Be The First BAME Face On UK Currency

Organisers of a government-backed campaign to feature Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) figures on British currency for the first time have clarified that Mahatma Gandhi is not under consideration.

Confusion arose following incorrect weekend reports that Gandhi was being lined up as the first non-white person to be honoured on legal UK tender.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on Sunday that he had asked the Royal Mint to consider how to celebrate the achievements of BAME individuals on UK coinage.

It came after a two-year campaign by the We Too Built Britain movement, which has put forward figures such as British-Jamaican Crimean War nurse Mary Seacole and Second World War spy Noor Inayat Khan for recognition.

It has never proposed Gandhi, and the mix-up appears to have stemmed from an announcement made by former chancellor Sajid Javid in October, in which he said he had separately asked the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) to consider a commemorative Ghandi coin.

While commemorative coins are by definition legal tender, they cannot be used in shops and banks like any other cash, and have limited exchange value.

Sunak has also written to We Too Built Britain campaigner Zehra Zahidi, saying: “Black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities have made a profound contribution to the shared history of the United Kingdom.

“For generations, ethnic minority groups have fought and died for this country we have built together; taught our children, nursed the sick, cared for the elderly; and through their enterprising spirit have started some of our most exciting and dynamic businesses, creating jobs and driving growth.

“I am writing today to the...

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