LONDON, June 25: “Pride and Prejudice” novelist Jane Austen looks set to replace Charles Darwin as the new face on Britain’s 10-pound note.

The outgoing governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, made the suggestion on Tuesday, after the bank recently confirmed that it will replace 19th-century social reformer Elizabeth Fry with wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the five-pound note.

That widely anticipated announcement prompted complaints that no woman except Queen Elizabeth II would be represented on Bank of England notes.

Activists launched an online petition on the issue, and a group of 46 lawmakers wrote to the bank last week to ask it to reconsider the predicted decision.

King sought to reassure lawmakers on Tuesday that such fears are unfounded. He said the bank always has a “reserve” system of notes that are not circulated and Austen has been used on them for two years, making her a likely figure to appear next on the real notes when they are changed.—AP