Penny is safe on high street for years to come

Britons will be able to spend pennies and tuppences on the high street “for many, many years to come”, a Treasury minister pledges today.

Robert Jenrick, the exchequer secretary, will say the penny is “safe as long as the British public cherish it and see in it, more than a unit of currency, but a metaphor for enduring strength and continuity”.

Mr Jenrick will say cash – which fewer people are using for shopping

– is vital for millions of vulnerable people and those living in rural areas. He will make his remarks at the annual Trial of the Pyx in London, a ceremony with its roots in the 12th century in which newly minted coins are tested.