On Sunday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (left) had to endure yet another accusation - giving the nod to the redesign of the 50p coin.

Though Mr Brown did not come up with the idea of the redesign, he did approve it when he was chancellor, The Guardian newspaper reported.

According to the new design, the figure of Britannia, a symbol of Britain for almost 2,000 years, will now be removed from the tails side of the coin, in a move that has angered the Tories, coin experts and historians.

'It is all too typical of a government with an inadequate sense of British pride and an ignorance of history to want to do away with such a symbol,' said Mr William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary.

The 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 20p coins are also being redesigned. Hundreds of people have entered a competition run by the Royal Mint to redesign the tails sides. The winner will receive a prize of up to £30,000 (S$84,000).

Historians have criticised the decision to redesign the coins. One wondered if the reality television star Jade Goody would replace Britannia, while a Sunday tabloid urged readers to fill in a coupon declaring their support for the figure, the Guardian report stated.

A spokesman for the Treasury confirmed that Mr Brown had approved the change but insisted that the new design would be 'appropriate'.

He said he thought that Britannia would almost certainly return in future designs.

The Royal Mint said that it would unveil the new designs in the spring.