“I think it’s fantastic that the Bank of England have taken action so quickly on making sure women continue to be represented on our bank notes. As I mentioned in my letter to the Governor, Mark Carney, women play a vital role in public life and need to be recognised as role models for aspiring women and girls. Jane Austen is a wonderful choice: a figure of great historical importance who serves – and will serve - as an inspiration to women and girls everywhere.”
“Although not well recognised during her own lifetime, I hope that through her new place on our currency, generations of women will discover and rediscover just how important she is to the world of literature and beyond.”