IT'S PUMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE!

Traditions are our superpower... and the great British pub is one of them, says Dame Penny Mourdant as she pours a pint for the Express at the London watering hole where world leaders quench their thirst

- BY RUSSELL HIGHAM

Dame Penny's Coronation role drew admiration from around the world

(Picture: JONATHAN BUCKMASTER)

REGULARS at the Westminster Arms are used to drinking with politicians and famous figures. Angelina Jolie, Glenda Jackson, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Bill Clinton have all enjoyed a tipple at this famous pub just a short walk from the Houses of Parliament. They usually tend to keep to the other side of the bar, though.

Dame Penny Mordaunt, on the other hand, is more than happy to man the pumps as she pulls me an almost-perfect pint of Spitfire ale made by Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewers. If I'm being critical, she's put a tad too much head on it, but that's possibly because she's keeping a watchful eye out for another frequent Westminster Arms visitor, Nigel Farage, should he barge in mid-pour.

The pub, built on the eve of World War One, is across the road from Westminster Abbey where Penny, as Leader of the House of Commons in 2023, famously carried the ceremonial Sword of State at King Charles III's Coronation. The dress and headwear she wore, which she helped design, drew admiration from around the world, including from the leader of Reform UK, who said she looked like "a Roman goddess".

Brandishing our beers, Penny and I descend downstairs to the restaurant.

We're here to discuss her latest Sunday Times bestseller, Pomp & Circumstance co-written with Chris Lewis.

It's a thoughtful, surprising and often humorous exploration of the traditions, values and rituals that underpin British life.

"Our traditions are our superpower, especially in these very difficult times," the former Secretary of State and Conservative MP for Portsmouth North tells me, clad immaculately, head-to-toe, in dark blue.