RUTH Davidson has banned senior UK Cabinet ministers Boris Johnson and Liam Fox from the Scottish Tory conference.

Environment secretary Michael Gove is also being kept away from next month's event, despite being raised in the Granite City.

Davidson fears the three ministers are "toxic" in Scotland, a party source said.

The senior source said Davidson did not want them and other UK ministers to be the face of the conference in Aberdeen.

At last year's Scottish Tory conference in Glasgow Michel Fallon, then defence secretary, and Priti Patel, then international development secretary, both spoke. Both have left the Cabinet and their replacements Gavin Williamson and Penny Mordaunt have not been invited.

The Sunday Herald understands that Davidson has imposed the restrictions to distance the Scottish Tories from the UK party.

The Tories increased their representation at Westminster from one to 13 in last year's General Election.

Davidson ran a campaign based on opposition to a second independence referendum.

A senior Scottish Tory source confirmed that Davidson had approached the UK Cabinet and asked that senior figures stay away from the conference.

However, May will still address the event on March 2 and 3, a longstanding convention for the party.

UK Tory chairman Brandon Lewis is scheduled to attend a Tory dinner in Aberdeen, but will not speak at the conference podium.

May and Scottish Secretary David Mundell will be the only politicians of Cabinet rank to address the full conference.

Chancellor Philip Hammond, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington and Home Secretary Amber Rudd, will also be absent.

A party source said: "The UK leader of the party always speaks at conference, so it's no real surprise that Theresa May will be there. But Ruth has told the rest of the Cabinet – apart from David Mundell who is obviously a Scottish MP – to stay away.

"It's mainly because she doesn't want folk from the party down south dominating the conference."

Labour MSP Neil Findlay said Davidson's instruction to Cabinet ministers was embarrassing for the UK and Scottish Tories.

He said: "Here we have the Tory party exposed when Ruth Davidson has to issue instructions to Cabinet ministers to stay away from Scotland because the Tories are held in such contempt. However, it's ironic that the one person she welcomes is the Prime Minister who leads that rabble.

"I'm sure Theresa May will get an appropriate response from the people of Scotland."

When approached by the Sunday Herald, a Scottish Tory spokesman refused to comment on the invites to the conference.