US SECRETARY of State John Kerry stopped at one of Oxford's best known pubs this week during a whirlwind tour of the city.

At the King's Arms, in Holywell Street, the 72-year-old addressed Rhodes and Marshall scholars from Oxford University before trying his hand at pulling a pint.

Hugo Glass, a barman, said before his arrival some of Mr Kerry's staff turned up looking for "a traditional English pub" before bringing him inside.

Mr Glass, 21, added: "He was very friendly and so, since we already had some pictures on our walls of the Queen Mother and Prince Charles pulling pints, we thought we'd ask him to have a go as well.

"He was surprisingly good, for his first try."

Political big-hitter Mr Kerry was in town to address the Oxford Union debating society, telling students that the UK's influence in the world was "magnified" by its membership of the European Union.

His comments came just weeks after President Barack Obama suggested the UK would be at "the back of the queue" for a trade agreement with the US if it leaves the EU.

In questions following an address to the union, Mr Kerry was asked if he supported President Obama's trade deal remarks.

He said: "This is a decision for the voters of Britain to make. But do we have a point of view about our relationship with Great Britain? Of course we do."