A statue of Margaret Thatcher should stand alongside the sculptures of Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, according to Kemi Badenoch. The Conservative leader wants people from across the world to see the Iron Lady immortalised on green space opposite the Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben.

She told BBC presenter Matt Chorley it was “odd” there was no statue of her in the iconic location. Other statues in Parliament Square include World War 1 prime minister David Lloyd George and Millicent Fawcett, one of the foremost campaigners for women to gain the right to vote. Mrs Badenoch said: “I do think that we should have a statue of Margaret Thatcher outside Parliament. There’s one that’s near the chamber of the House of Commons that’s inside, but most people would never see that.

“I think she’s such an iconic figure. It’s odd that she isn’t there.”

The Fawcett statue was defaced this month after transgender activists gathered in Parliament Square to protest against the Supreme Court ruling that women are defined by biological sex under equality legislation.

Mrs Badenoch said: “I remember having this conversation about 15 years ago, long before I became an MP, and the person said: ‘Oh, they’d be really worried about the statue being defaced.’ And then what did we see last weekend or two weekends ago?

“People are defacing every statue of Millicent Fawcett. For goodness sake, I think we need to treat the statues with a bit more respect.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Mrs Badenoch insisted her opposition to sugar taxes was not down to having a sweet tooth. She admitted to putting “four very small teaspoons” of sugar in her tea.

She said: “I’ve had to move off Coca-Cola to Coke Zero just to reduce the sugar. I do quite like the sugary drinks – they get me through the day.”

Defending her opposition to new taxes to push down sugar consumption, she said: “I am not a nanny state person. I don’t think that taxing everything is the solution.”

Mrs Badenoch also disclosed that she likes a “sandwich makes an effort, you know, like a burger”.

She let on that she is partial to a McDonald’s favourite, describing an Egg McMuffin as a “big effort”.