Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson expecting a baby

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, a rising star of the party, said on Thursday she was expecting her first child with her partner Jen Wilson later this year.

"Jen and I are delighted to announce that I am expecting our first child in the late autumn," she said in a statement.

"Like all new parents-to-be, we are excited - and daunted - about the months to come. Mostly, we are just overjoyed at the prospect of starting a family together."

She said there was no change to her plans to lead the party into the 2021 elections for the Scottish parliament.

Davidson's stock has risen after she resurrected the Conservatives' fortunes in Scotland, gaining 12 seats there in last year's British general election while the party as a whole lost its majority.

The 39-year-old has been tipped by some as a future party leader and British Prime Minister.

Firstly, however, she would have to move to the larger political stage of the British parliament, a step she has hinted she would be willing to make if she failed to become Scotland's first minister in 2021.

When asked in December if she might seek election to Westminster, she said: "I haven't ruled it out."

She said on Thursday her deputy, Jackson Carlaw, would "hold the fort for a few months" while she was on maternity leave, but that in the meantime it was business as usual.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Stephen Addison)