I want to go straight to Glasgow and
talk to the leader of the Scottish
National Party and First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon First Minister very good
morning to you thanks for joining us
good morning let's talk about the snps
strong performance in this election and
was it something that you were expecting
at the start of the evening I was
expecting a good performance I was
expecting this to win the election and
win it handsomely but I think the
results said that we're seeing recorded
this evening somewhat exceed the
expectations that I had so it's been an
exceptional night for the SNP and you
know Scotland has sent a very clear
message we don't want a Boris Johnson
Conservative government we don't want to
leave the European Union and we want
Scotland's future to be in Scotland's
hands that's the message of this
election in Scotland tonight just
wondering about some of the messages in
the campaign and you were very clear
about the fact that in your view
Scotland needed a strong SNP voice at
Westminster in order to as you say
protect Scottish interests and and the
interests of the people of Scotland
however it's not going to be a surprise
if I say to you that on the basis of
these figures even if you have 50-plus
MPs if you're up against the
conservative prime minister with the
majority of let's say 60 or 65 there's
not a lot you can do well the result
across the UK is grim I don't want a
conservative majority government but the
fact that that is what is good to be the
position after at this election
underlines the importance of Scotland
having a choice of something different
and you know I don't retain that every
single person that voted SNP yesterday
will necessarily support independence
but there has been a strong endorsement
in this election of Scotland having a
choice over their future of not having
to put up with a Conservative government
that we didn't vote for and not having
to accept life as a nation outside the
European Union so that independence
referendum that was very much at the
heart of the SMPS campaign that is a
renewed refreshed strengthened mandate
for that and just as I reluctantly
accept because it's a direction I regret
that Boris Johnson has a
Mandie no to teak England Oh of the EU
he must accept that I have a Mandy to
offer Scotland the choice of an
alternative future and he will say of
course that he's been very clear about
the fact that he doesn't think another
referendum is good and he will claim
that he now has a mandate to stop that
so what's your response to that his
party has lost seats in Scotland this
evening the Scottish Conservatives put
the issue of opposition to an
independence referendum at the centre of
the campaign in fact more than that
there was no other aspect to the
Scottish conservative campaign and they
have lost this election and they have
lost seats so Boris Johnson's argument
in this election in Scotland has been
flatly and completely rejected so there
is no doubt that is a mandate I have a
mandate to offer people that choice and
then of course it's up to people in
Scotland to decide what choice they make
but Boris Johnson has no rights firstly
to take Scotland out of the EU and
secondly no right to block the Scottish
people choosing their own future First
Minister good of you to join us thank
you very much once again Nicola Sturgeon
thank you very much