Ruth Davidson with her partner, Jen Wilson, at the Tory conference

Scotland will not be permitted to hold another independence referendum until at least 2027 under a Conservative government, Ruth Davidson has said.

The Scottish Conservative leader said that her party would “absolutely” make a manifesto commitment to block another independence referendum at the next general election, due to be held in 2022.

The pledge apparently contradicts Ms Davidson’s previous position in 2016, when she said that “constitutionally the UK government shouldn’t block” another referendum.

Theresa May has already rejected Nicola Sturgeon’s demand for a ballot before Britain leaves the EU in March 2019, insisting that now is not the time for more constitutional uncertainty.

Ms Sturgeon, the first minister, has promised to outline her revised plan for another referendum in the next few weeks “when