SCOTTISH Conservative leader Ruth Davidson was named the e-politician of the year in recognition of her successful engagement with social media.

Over the last 12 months, the Glasgow regional MSP has used Twitter to put homophobic trolls in their place and even speak out against the UK government.

In January she described Whitehall plans to fly flags at half-mast to mark the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, noted for horrific human rights abuses, as a “steaming pile of nonsense”.

She also famously struck a deal with her fellow party leaders Nicola Sturgeon and Kezia Dugdale to suspend preparation for First Minister’s Questions in favour of cheering on Andy Murray in the Australian Open, whose semi-final took place hours ahead of the weekly set-piece in January.

Ms Davidson began the exchange when she tweeted “Hmmm..... FMQ prep Vs tennis..... #comeonandy”. The First Minister offered to “come to some arrangement” and asked Ms Dugdale for her thoughts. The then-Scottish Labour deputy leader said she would bring the Pimms to Ms Sturgeon’s office. The exchange immediately went viral, being shared widely far beyond Scotland.

Her Twitter use also came up on her recent appearance on Have I Got News For You when her reaction to Scotland’s heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the Rugby World Cup was shown to the nation. Ms Davidson had tweeted: “You are ******* kidding me. Sick. But what a shift from #SCO. Bloody heroes all.”

A tweet to a stressed Jim Murphy just before the General Election, a simple “you ok, hun?” after the then-Labour leader launched an attack on David Cameron, has become an online in-joke.

Ms Davidson beat her Tory colleague Murdo Fraser and the SNP’s International Development Minister Humza Yousaf to the award, which was sponsored by ScottishPower Renewables.