In Other News

• The Royal Mint (TRM) has announced that just over 30 million new £1 coins are entering circulation across the UK, including 23.3 million of the final £1 coins featuring the effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Dated 2022, they will, said the TRM, be the rarest £1 coins in active circulation. The balance of new coins feature the effigy of the King.

Since the introduction of King Charles III’s’ portrait on UK coinage in 2023, the 50p and £1 are the only denominations that have entered circulation bearing his effigy, The new coins feature an intricate bee design on the reverse. They are one of eight new designs introduced in 2023 that appear on the nation’s coins, from the 1p to the £2, which feature animals such as the Hazel Dormouse, Puffin and the Atlantic Salmon.