Nicola Sturgeon says Boris Johnson must 'respect SNP's mandate' after stunning election success
2 min read
Nicola Sturgeon has called on Boris Johnson to agree to her demands for another Scottish referendum after the SNP made sweeping gains in the general election.
The party is on course to win 53 seats, 18 more than in 2017, after its support soared north of the Border.
By contrast, the Scottish Conservatives were forecast to see their number of MPs fall from 13 to around half a dozen, despite the Tories winning a thumping majority at Westminster.
SNP leader Ms Sturgeon said it was a "spectacular, exceptional result" for her party, which had even taken her by surprise.
And she said the Prime Minister must now drop his opposition to "indyref2", which was the central plank of the Tory campaign north of the Border.
Ms Sturgeon told ITV: "We see tonight the divergent paths that Scotland and the rest of the UK are on. Scotland has sent a very strong message that we don't want a Conservative government, we don't want Brexit and we want our future to be in our own hands.
"Boris Johnson has a mandate to take England out of the European Union, but he does not have a mandate to take Scotland out of the European Union. I have a renewed mandate and that should be respected."
While the SNP were jubilant, Labour was set to see its number of Scottish MPs reduced from seven to just one - Ian Murray in Edinburgh South.
In his acceptance speech, he launched a furious attack on Jeremy Corbyn' leadership and said: "I’m sick of standing at lecterns and talking about bad nights for my party. If we don’t change our direction, the party will die."
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