Conservative activist Jane Lax suspended over Nicola Sturgeon miscarriage joke

Image caption, Jane Lax appeared as an audience member on Question Time in May

A Tory activist has been suspended by the party after she joked about Nicola Sturgeon's miscarriage on Twitter.

Jane Lax asked "Is that when she dropped a book?" in response to another Twitter user's claim that the first minister's miscarriage was "fictional".

Mrs Lax, who was treasurer of the Moray Conservative Association, then posted three laughing emojis.

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said the comments were "completely unacceptable".

He added: "As a result, Jane Lax has been suspended by the party pending a disciplinary procedure and has resigned as treasurer of the Moray association.

"Mrs Lax recognises she made a mistake and is extremely apologetic."

Mrs Lax, who is said to have been a member of the Moray association for two years, tweeted under the user name "Jane - SNP don't speak for me". She has now made her account private.

Image caption, Screenshots of Ms Lax's tweets have been shared on social media

Ms Sturgeon revealed in 2016 that she had suffered a miscarriage five years earlier, while she was deputy first minister.

The first minister, who is married to SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, was in the early stages of her pregnancy and preparing to share the news when she lost her baby.

Ms Sturgeon spoke publicly about the miscarriage ahead of details being published - with her blessing - in a book by journalist Mandy Rhodes.

She said she hoped allowing the details to be made public would challenge assumptions about women who do not have children.

Speaking at an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe earlier this week, Ms Sturgeon described the "horrible, misogynist, really filthy, disgusting" abuse she receives online.

She also warned that social media was distorting political debate in Scotland and across the world.