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Ruth Davidson slammed Northern Ireland’s gay marriage laws yesterday amid growing fury over the Conservatives’ £1.5billion deal with the DUP.

The Scots Tory leader tried to distance herself from the party’s confidence-and-supply partners at Westminster after days of criticism.

She claimed PM Theresa May has assured her the UK Government will seek to influence the DUP, who have vetoed several attempts to pass new legislation in Belfast.

(Image: AFP)

Davidson, who is engaged to her partner, Jen, also said she has lobbied DUP boss Arlene Foster on the issue.

In a newspaper article, she wrote: “I’ve campaigned passionately for this to change.

“Last year, at Amnesty International’s invitation, I travelled to Belfast to make the case in person.

“I’ve raised the issue with Arlene Foster and have had assurances from the Prime Minister that the Conservative Party will use our influence in Northern Ireland to press for marriage equality.

(Image: REUTERS/Russell Cheyne)

“It seems anachronistic to tell our young people, ‘You’re good enough to serve in our armed forces, you’re good enough to care in hospitals, you’re good enough to teach in schools but you’re not good enough to marry the person you love and who loves you.’

“That idea of difference is at the root of all bullying.

“Don’t get me wrong – change has happened.

“I’m 38. When I was born, homosexuality was still a crime in Scotland. But just because things are easier, it doesn’t make them easy.”

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Same-sex marriages were legalised in England and Wales in July 2013, and in Scotland in February 2014.

Davidson has criticised the DUP’s stance on a number of social issues since it emerged their 10 MPs would support the weakened UK Tory Government on a confidence-and-supply basis.

(Image: 2017 Getty Images)

But she was blasted by opponents when it emerged Scotland would get no extra money as part of the deal.

Christina McKelvie, SNP convener of Holyrood’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee, said: “Ruth Davidson loves to boast about her influence on the Prime Minister but it has now been exposed as empty bluster.

“If she was really unhappy about the Government being propped up by the dinosaurs in the DUP, her MPs could have done something about it.”