Kemi Badenoch has strongly criticised the Bank of England's decision to replace historical figures like Sir Winston Churchill with images of wildlife on the next series of banknotes, labelling the move as "erasing our history".
The Conservative leader, who described herself as a "huge fan" of Churchill, dismissed the switch to wildlife pictures as "a silly thing to do".
This change by the central bank marks a significant departure after more than 50 years of showcasing prominent Britons from history, including Alan Turing and Jane Austen, on the nation's currency.
The Bank of England, however, stated that the shift to wildlife imagery creates an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the country.
It also suggested the new designs would make counterfeiting more difficult while enhancing the distinguishability of security features. Ms Badenoch, meanwhile, proposed that former Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher should feature on future banknotes.
During a visit to north London, the Tory leader told the Press Association: “I think that removing Churchill from banknotes is erasing our history.
“I’m a huge fan of Winston Churchill. I think that he is very much believed to be this country’s greatest wartime prime minister.
“This is not a problem at all. It’s not something that needs to be solved.
“If anything, I think that they should be putting more historical figures on banknotes. I would quite like to see Margaret Thatcher on a banknote. I think she was Britain’s greatest peacetime prime minister.
“Changing the pictures to put wild animals on them is a silly thing to do. I absolutely do not support it.”
Last month, the Churchill statue in Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, was defaced with phrases including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine”.
A man was arrested following the incident and was charged with criminal damage.
The Bank’s move follows a consultation in which the UK wildlife theme received the highest proportion of nominations, at 60 per cent.
Architecture and landmarks was a close second at 56 per cent, followed by notable historical figures (38 per cent), arts, culture and sport (30 per cent), innovation (23 per cent) and noteworthy milestones (19 per cent).
More than 44,000 responses were received, including from online surveys, emails and designs submitted by schools and the public.
A second consultation will be run this summer to gather views on the specific wildlife they would like to feature, which can include plants, landscapes and animals.
It will be several years before the banknotes are issued and they will continue to show a portrait of the monarch.
Victoria Cleland, chief cashier at the Bank of England, said: “The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience, but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK.
“Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the UK’s rich and varied wildlife on the next series of banknotes.
“I look forward to hearing about the public’s favourite wildlife during our forthcoming summer consultation.”
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