RUTH Davidson has dismissed a suggestion she will seek to break the Scottish Tories away from the UK party following a humiliating General Election result for Theresa May.

The right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Davidson was working on a deal that would see the Scottish party split from the UK one.

However, on Twitter the Scottish Tory leader dismissed the newspaper claim as "b****cks".

She added, "Folk might remember I fought a leadership election on the other side of that particular argument."

Davidson was elected as leader of the Scottish Conservatives in 2011 after opposing a similar plan put forward by rival Murdo Fraser, now the party's finance spokesman.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland Fraser said: "I saw that piece in the Telegraph with some interest and it rang some bells for some things I said a few years ago but I'm assured that there's not a lot of truth in this particular story."

Meanwhile, Davidson said she will argue Scotland's case "forcefully" to the Prime Minister after major Tory gains north of the border.

The SNP claimed that May's failure to win a majority means that single market membership must be back on the table.

The party's Westminster Europe spokesperson Stephen Gethins said the Tories had failed to secure a mandate for the party's hard Brexit plans.

He said: “The election result was a comprehensive rejection of the Tory plans for an extreme Brexit – and single market membership must now be back on the table.

“Theresa May couldn’t have been clearer. She called this election to secure a mandate for her negotiating position, and the electorate snubbed her.

“Scotland needs a seat at the negotiations to leave the EU – and it’s time for the Tories to ditch their plans for an extreme Brexit.”

Scotland Office minister Lord Dunlop announced he is to "bow out" of the Government, saying that after the Tories' success in Scotland it was a good time for him to go.