The lion has been one of the emblems of the kings and queens of England/Scotland/Britain since Norman times, and some English/Scottish/British institutions, such as sports teams, have adopted a lion as their emblem.
Meanwhile, back at the thread, the lion (or sometimes the bull-dog) is a commonplace of cartoon drawing. I don't know why. Different countries are typically represented by particular animals. Russi is a bear. The USA is an eagle. Australia, for obvious reasons, is a kangaroo. China is a dragon. Argentina is a puma. These images come and go. I expect if a cartoonist wanted to represent the Arctic they'd use a polar bear. (I can see it now - a polar bear sunbathing -> global warming....;-))