Petition to feature Margaret Thatcher on new £50 note faces opposition

A petition that is calling on Margaret Thatcher to be the face of the new £50 note has received over 8,000 signatures. But as news spreads of the campaign, opinions are split, with some critics going as far to say they won’t use the banknote if Thatcher is on it.

The campaign was launched in response to an announcement from The Bank of England. They’re offering the public the opportunity to nominate British figures to appear on the new £50 note ahead of its redesign in plastic.

Meanwhile, the petition titled: "Margaret Thatcher for the Face of the New £50 Note" is calling for the former PM to be featured, it says, "in the interest of gender equality".

Their Change.org page says: “Just one of these notes so far has featured a woman other than the Queen, and in the interests of gender equality, who would be more appropriate to feature than the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?”

Other potential candidates include Princess Diana, Stephen Hawking and David Bowie.Printed on flexible polymer that is stronger than paper, the new bank note will be more secure with additional features to stamp out forgeries.

On today’s Good Morning Britain we were joined by politician, broadcaster and writer George Galloway who opposes Margaret Thatcher and thinks that it’s a "hideous idea” and "can think of 100 better candidates”.

Author and former politician Stanley Johnson is in favour of such a "historic figure" being the face of the British banknote. Mr Johnson believes that Thatcher helped create the “European single market” and is a worthy candidate.

Watch the debate in the video.