Labour has swept to power across Scotland, upending the SNP’s near decade-long majority of Westminster seats.
First Minister John Swinney pledged a period of “soul searching” after what he described as a “very poor” performance for the SNP.
“The Scottish National Party needs to be healed and it needs to heal its relationship with the people of Scotland, and I am absolutely committed to doing that,” he said.
The SNP has lost dozens of MPs in the General Election, dropping from 48 to just nine with one seat left to declare.
General election LIVE: Starmer becomes Prime Minister, SNP 'gubbed' in Scotland
The party had initially targeted at least 29 seats in Scotland – enough for a majority – and then hoped to trigger negotiations with incoming prime minister Sir Keir Starmer on holding another independence referendum.
Here’s a flavour of how a catastrophic night for the SNP has been reported across the globe:
El Mundo (Spain)
Nationalist debacle in Scotland due to the "Starmer tsunami"
The nationalists achieved their worst result since 2010 and saw their presence in Westminster drastically reduced from 48 to just nine MPs
Guia Medica (Honduras)
SNP humiliation in Scotland shows independence is no longer a priority for 2024 general election
The result of the general election is a catastrophe for John Swinney and the Scottish National Party, which dominated Scottish politics for a decade. It has now experienced a complete defeat.
TVA Nouvelles (Québec)
British legislative elections: Scottish independence supporters weakened
Scottish independence supporters lost most of their seats in the British parliament in general elections on Thursday, a new setback in their fight for self-determination, which is more than ever at an impasse.
La Razón (Spain)
Scottish nationalism is collapsing: independence is off the table
SNP crushed by supermajority in worst result in 14 years
Politico (US)
Scotland’s independence supporters smashed in UK general election
Britain’s Conservatives aren’t the only big losers of the U.K.’s general election. After dominating Scottish politics for years, the pro-independence Scottish National Party is having a terrible night as votes continue to be counted in the U.K. election.
Jornal Espalhafato (Brazil)
Labour dominates Scotland, Scottish National Party suffers major setback
Scotland's pro-separatist Scottish National Party was all but eliminated in the UK general election on Friday, dealing a devastating blow to its fierce independence movement.
El Nacional (Spain)
Defeat of the independence movement in Scotland
Scotland has followed the trend of the rest of the United Kingdom and has largely opted to support Labour to oust the Tories from 10 Downing Street, condemning the pro-independence SNP to their worst electoral result since 2010.
Les Échos (France)
British legislative elections: Scottish independence supporters weakened
The fight for Scottish independence is at an impasse with the results of the British general election. The Scottish National Party has lost most of its seats in the British Parliament.
Zeit (Germany)
Scottish National Party loses several seats to Labour
In addition to the Tories, the SNP is also a big loser in the election in Great Britain. Former party leader Alex Salmond speaks of a "catastrophic result".
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