SCOTTISH Tory leader Ruth Davidson name-checked Arlene Foster yesterday as she made light of the Conservatives' pact with the DUP.
Asked about being "in bed" with the unionist party, Ms Davidson said: "I'm not sure Arlene Foster would be comfortable being in a bed with me."
Ms Davidson, who is gay, added that it was "pretty awful" that same-sex couples cannot get married in Northern Ireland.
The politician said she sought assurances from British prime minister Theresa May that progress on gay rights would not be diverted by the Tories' agreement with the DUP, which opposes same-sex marriage.
Northern Ireland remains the only part of Britain and Ireland where gay marriage is not legal.
Following June's Westminster election, the DUP agreed to support Mrs May's minority government in a deal involving £1bn of extra public spending in Northern Ireland.
Ms Davidson was speaking at the Times Red Box fringe event at the Tory party conference in Manchester.
She told the Tory party to "man up" and get over its "nervous breakdown" after losing its Commons majority in the snap election earlier this year.
A popular figure within the party, she also played down the prospect of succeeding Mrs May, saying that being British prime minister seemed to be the "loneliest job in the world".
