A former Scottish Conservatives adviser believes the next party leader will have to instantly consider 'severing ties to London'.

With Ruth Davidson anticipated to announce her resignation on Thursday, the party's former head of communications said her departure was a threat to unionism.

Andy Maciver said whoever takes the reins must decide whether they want to distance themselves from their UK counterparts.

During a debate on Scotland Tonight, he stated that the UK and Scottish Conservatives are drifting apart.

Mr Maciver said: "It's not only the Scottish Conservatives that have a problem now, but it's also unionism that has a problem.

"There is at least a reasonable likelihood that we will be looking at another independence referendum at some point - I would guess just after the next Scottish election.

"Somebody is going to have to lead that campaign and be the lead unionist in that campaign.

"It was always presumed it would be Ruth, obviously now it's not going to be."

He added: "Fundamentally for the Scottish Conservative Party - what we've had is a situation where the Scottish party and UK party are drifting apart all the time.

"The UK party strategy is pretty much expressly towards becoming a more English party, a more Brexit party.

"And it's totally changing the composition of who votes for it at the moment - that's what Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson are doing.

"That's not going to particularly play into the Scottish agenda.

"So, whoever takes this job - and I don't know who's going to do that, I don't know who would want it quite frankly - but whoever comes in to do that is going to have to make an immediately fundamental choice about what the structure of this party is and whether or not they continue to be tied to London, because frankly it is causing them nothing but problems."