Ruth Davidson signalled her opposition to Theresa May’s deal with the DUP in blunt fashion by tweeting a link to the same-sex marriage lecture she gave at Amnesty 's Pride lecture in Belfast last year.

The Scottish Tory leader is engaged to Jen Wilson, an Irish Catholic Christian who campaigned during the Republic's same-sex marriage referendum, is a practising Christian herself and has said she would like to get married in her local church.

Her views could not be further from those of the DUP, a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage and supporter of the “traditional” definition of marriage.

Speaking of the pro-marriage equality movement, party leader Arlene Foster said in 2016: “They are not going to influence me by sending me abuse – in fact, they are going to send me in the opposite direction and people need to reflect on that.”

Ian Paisley Jr, son of the party’s founder Ian Paisley, has previously called homosexuality “immoral, offensive and obnoxious”.

Ms Davidson made her point by tweeting: “As a Protestant Unionist about to marry an Irish Catholic, here’s the Amnesty Pride lecture I gave in Belfast”.

She said in the emotional speech that she believed reform on the issue of gay marriage was inevitable in Northern Ireland, despite objections from unionists.

Asked for her views on a coalition with the DUP, she offered a less than ringing endorsement, saying: “What's clear is that we need to ensure that as the parliament reconvenes in Westminster, the Government brings forward a Queen's Speech on the 19th and I support all efforts to do that.”

Ruth Davidson at her post-election press conference credit: Getty

Ms Davidson and Ms Wilson, an environmental charity worker from Wexford in Ireland, have moved in the same circles for years but their relationship only began three years ago.

They got engaged in Paris last year when the Tory leader proposed and were due to marry in October. However, their nuptials were cancelled after they were faced with a five-figure veterinary bill for their cocker spaniel Wilson – who was with them at the polling booth on Thursday – after it was hit by a car.

Ms Davidson has revealed in interviews that the pair plan to start a family.

Ms Davidson said she had been assured by Mrs May that gay rights would not be undermined by any arrangement with the DUP.

"I was fairly straightforward with her and I told her that there were a number of things that count to me more than party,” she told BBC Reporting Scotland

"One of them is country, one of the others is LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex) rights.”

She said that she had been given a categoric assurance that there would be “absolutely no rescission of LGBTI rights in the rest of the UK”.