Nicola Sturgeon has said she will not make “rash decisions” on her plan for a second independence referendum, despite the SNP suffering a number of high-profile losses.
The first minister said she was “disappointed” by the results, which saw both depute leader Angus Robertson and former first minister Alex Salmond dramatically defeated by the Conservatives.
The Tory surge was most dramatic in the north-east, but the SNP also lost out to the Liberal Democrats in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, where Paul Monaghan was beaten by Jamie Stone.
Speaking from the Glasgow count, Ms Sturgeon insisted the result was a win for her party, although she conceded she was bitterly disappointed by the losses.
She said: “We’ve won the election in Scotland so we’re very pleased about that and I think we’re going to end up with more seats than all the rest of the other parties combined.
“We’re coming from a position where the SNP had more seats than we had ever had, but there have been losses and all of them are bitterly disappointing.
“Some of them personally so – Angus Robertson has been such an outstanding leader for us in Westminster.
“Alec is not just a colleague but a friend of mine and has been all through my political career.
“He has been an outstanding MP, an outstanding first minister and I will make a prediction we have not seen the last of him.”
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson claimed the “tremendous” result for her party showed people had rejected the SNP’s “attempts to ram through” a second independence referendum – and that the north-east in particular felt ignored.
She added: “I think there was a big storm that happened in the north-east.”
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said she was pleased to gain six seats, and “slash” SNP majorities.
Ms Sturgeon admitted the results meant she would have to put her calls for a second independence referendum on ice for a period.
She said: “Of course, a period of reflection is necessary and we will look at all aspects.
“It would be wrong to rule anything out, but equally I’m not going to rush to judgement because this is something that has not yet had the benefit of a period of analysis.
“Some independence supporters will have voted for Jeremy Corbyn, so to draw simplistic conclusions about independence would be wrong.”
Despite the UK Labour party sticking to its pledge not to go into coalition in Westminster, Ms Sturgeon said there could still be an opportunity to work together in a progressive coalition.
She said: “If there’s a way of doing that I would like to be in a position where we’re exploring those options.
“If the arithmetic lends itself to that, I would want us look at being part of that.
“If that is possible then, yes, these are discussions and conversations I would want to have, but we will have to see how the final numbers shake out.”
