Ruth Davidson could quit Scottish politics to run a Whitehall department as a peer before launching a bid to be Tory leader

• Scottish Tory leader is hugely popular and hotly tipped as a successor to May
• Ms Davidson, 39, could move to Westminster to line herself up for leadership
• Led  Scottish Tories to their best election success since 1983 getting 13 seats 

Ruth Davidson could quit Scottish politics and become a Cabinet minister in London as a launch pad for her bid to be Tory leader.

The leader of the Scottish Tories has reportedly told friends that she could take up a peerage in the House of Lords so she could be parachuted into the Government.

Ms Davidson, 39, who is pregnant with her first child, has repeatedly insisted that she will stay in Edinburgh to fight the 2021 Holyrood election.

But The Sun reports that she has privately discussed making the move down to London late next year after she has had her baby.

Ms Davidson is hugely popular and if she makes the move to Whitehall would immediately be one of the favourites to succeed Theresa May.

She has helped breath life in the Scottish Tories, who won 13 seats - their best showing since 1983.  

A friend of Ms Davidson told the newspaper: 'Ruth told me that she is having a rethink about the next few years.

'It's dawning on her that she needs to prove she can run something bigger than just the Scottish Tory party to show members she would be good leader of the party and the country.

'You can renounce peerages these days, so that's how she'd do it as a stop gap before fighting a Westminster seat at the next general election, whenever it comes.' 

A spokesman for Ms Davidson would not deny that she has had speculative conversations with friends about her possible future in Westminster.

But he denied she has already decided to abandon the Scottish Parliament before 2021, saying: 'This simply isn't the case.'

Ms Davidson announced in April that she is pregnant with her first child after undergoing IVF. 

She and her partner Jen Wilson will be welcoming their baby in the autumn.

She made the announcement on Twitter with a photo of her beaming alongside her partner and their cocker spaniel, Wilson with the message: 'Our little family of three is becoming four...'

Speaking on Scottish TV, the beaming politician opened up about the 'ups and downs' of having IVF and her joy that her dream of starting a family is coming true. 

She said: 'Jen and I are delighted to say we are going to be starting a family. I'm pregnant, I'm due in the late autumn.

'We weren't sure it was every going to happen for us but we are really really happy that it has.'

Mrs May this week restated her pledge to stay on as Tory leader and fight another General Election.

But after she led the Tories to their election disaster last year - losing their majority after a campaign which many Tories said was worst they had ever seen - she has been dogged by constant speculation she could face a leadership challenge.