TORY leader Ruth Davidson is to head a campaign to keep Scotland in the UK.

She said it was a fight to "determine the very existence of the United Kingdom" and that keeping Scotland part of the Union was an "absolute priority".

The campaign group, Conservative Friends of the Union, will be launched at the Scottish Tory Party conference in Troon on Friday but Ms Davidson said it would be open to anyone, not just party members.

Ms Davidson said: "Like millions of other Scots I'm proud to be both Scottish and British and I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with people across Scotland to preserve one of the most successful political and economic unions in the world.

"The retention of our place in the United Kingdom will be an absolute priority for me until the referendum is held, and I will fight for it with every fibre of my being.

"The Conservative Friends of the Union will help to lead that fight and will be a home and a voice for all Scots who want to see a fair, prosperous and safe Scotland stay within the United Kingdom."

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, co-chair of the UK Conservative Party, added: "Our union is incredibly important to me."

SNP spokesman Kenneth Gibson, said: "The more the anti-independence campaign in Scotland is seen to be Tory-led, the stronger support for independence will become."