She once joked that as a woman in the armed forces her commanders did not think she had been issued with the “right equipment” — but as a minister it turns out Penny Mordaunt has been packing more heat than the men.

The international development secretary has told MPs that on a foreign trip she was equipped with a loaded Glock pistol to defend herself.

The highly unusual move came when Mordaunt — who is a Royal Navy reservist — made a trip to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

Ministers are usually accompanied on foreign trips by armed protection officers but a source said: “She went to Mogadishu when it was being shelled and they weren’t able to give her any personal protection at the