The Scottish Conservatives will "surprise" people at next year's Holyrood elections, leader Ruth Davidson has predicted.

Ms Davidson said the party is putting together a "comprehensive manifesto" and insisted the SNP would not be given an "easy ride" on their record in government.

The Tory leader also brushed aside the question of whether she ever fancies leading her party at Westminster.

Speaking outside the Scottish Parliament, Ms Davidson told Sky News' Murnaghan programme: "I'm proud and honoured to lead this party at this time, a remarkable time in Scottish politics. I do think I can use my background to increase our appeal across Scotland.

"I think that we're going to surprise a few people in May of next year. We're putting together a comprehensive manifesto that talks to people of this country about the responsibilities that this Parliament is about to have - how we can use that, how we can stand up for people, get a good deal from their taxes, increase choice within education.

"In Scotland right now we've got an education system where there are a number of teachers doing excellent work but the results of our pupils are falling. We've got standards that are stalling. We've got a government here who have presided over more than 200 weeks of missed A&E targets because they're not concentrating on health."

Ms Davidson told the show the "vibrant" debate over Scotland's constitutional future has "knocked everything else on to the back pages".

She said: "The SNP have had an easy ride on their record. Not any longer. I will be focusing very clearly on what we can do as a country to have an aspirational future for our children, realise that there are opportunities out there for them and those opportunities are increased for being part of a United Kingdom, part of a G7 nation that is one of the world leaders."

Quizzed on her leadership qualities, Ms Davidson was also asked whether she would ever fancy leading her colleagues at Westminster.

She replied: "I've got a pretty big job up here. You just outlined the scale of the task I have to not just get the Scottish Conservative Party up the polls but also get more people back into Holyrood, into Westminster, the European Parliament.

"I want to make my contribution to the Conservative and Unionist Party making sure that I supply a few more MPs from Scotland to help the next Conservative government."