Nicola Sturgeon has vowed her record-breaking team of SNP MPs will “genuinely make Scotland’s voice heard” at Westminster in a bid to end austerity economics.
The SNP gained an extraordinary 50 seats in the General Election, taking the party’s tally of MPs to 56.
Ms Sturgeon hailed that as “an overwhelming vote for change in Scotland”, and vowed to now push for more powers to be handed to Holyrood.
But while that is five times more than its previous best result of 11 MPs in 1974, with the Conservatives heading back to government the Scottish First Minister said the result across the UK was “not the scenario I wanted”.
Labour lost a total of 40 seats in Scotland, ending up with just one MP north of the border.
But Ms Sturgeon said that across the UK Ed Miliband’s party “haven’t been strong enough to beat the Conservatives”.
The SNP leader told the BBC: “Given that we are, unfortunately, facing another Conservative government, it’s all the more important that we’ve got a strong team of SNP MPs standing up for Scotland.
“The government at Westminster cannot ignore what has happened in Scotland, people have voted overwhelmingly for Scotland’s voice to be heard and for an end to austerity.”
She added: “This election wasn’t about independence. I don’t take any of the votes that were cast for the SNP yesterday as votes for independence. They were votes to make Scotland’s voice be heard more loudly.
“We will go to Westminster and seek to ensure that Westminster governments can’t ignore Scotland, that they can’t simply push aside the things that were voted for in Scotland yesterday.
“There has been an overwhelming vote for change in Scotland and our 56 MPs will carry that message to the heart of Westminster.
“When I published the SNP manifesto three weeks ago I said very explicitly that ending austerity was our number one priority. I accept that we are looking as if we’ve got a majority Conservative government but nevertheless that’s what Scotland voted for yesterday and it’s what the SNP will champion in the House of Commons.”
Ms Sturgeon, who is travelling to London today to take part in the VE Day commemorations, said she was “looking forward then to coming back to Scotland to meet up with our 56 MPs and start to consider how we do genuinely make Scotland’s voice heard”.
SNP chairman Derek Mackay said the election had produced a “phenomenal result” for the party, adding: “I think it will change Scotland, it will change Britain, there’s already talk of constitutional reform as a result, and it’s a fantastic result.”
He revealed that SNP canvas returns during the campaign had appeared “too good to be true”, telling BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland: “It felt too good to be true, but it’s turned out this phenomenal result for the SNP has happened.”
But he stressed the Westminster landslide did not mean there would be another referendum on independence.
“We were clear in the manifesto that wasn’t what this election was about,” Mr Mackay said.
“It’s not a mandate for independence, it’s not a mandate for a referendum for independence. But what this election was about was ensuring Scotland’s voice is heard and it has been heard.”