It was purely by chance that I met the remarkable woman whom I now value as one of my closest friends, Ann Widdecombe. It happened, like so many of my chance meetings, in a bar. This one was the Pugin Room in the Palace of Westminster.
In 1987 my guardian angel led Ann over to the table where I was enjoying an early-evening drink with Ken Hargreaves, the Tory MP for Hyndburn.
She ordered a very large Famous Grouse whisky, in a glass topped up with ice, and took a long swallow. Her smile went all the way up to her eyes, and she sighed: "I think I needed that."
I soon learnt that Ann could consume substantial amounts of Famous Grouse whisky - but