Scotland's bid for a second independence referendum was dealt a blow when Nicola Sturgeon's nationalists lost 21 of its 56 seats to parties that want to keep the United Kingdom united.

The Scottish National Party, which nearly swept the board in Scotland two years ago, saw a resurgent Conservative Party north of the border claim scalps including former leader Alex

Sturgeon demanded a second independence ballot in March, arguing that the

The June 23 ballot on

After Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election, the Conservatives,

Sturgeon said it was "a disappointing result" for her party, two years after it won a landslide in Scotland.

"There is clearly uncertainty around

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said the party had its best result in 20 years.

Scotland delivered the only good news for a Conservative Party that lost its overall majority in the British parliament.

"We had a very clear message in this campaign and there wouldn't have been so many SNP losses tonight if Nicola Sturgeon hadn't tried to force through an unwanted second independence referendum in March," she said.

"That's what a lot of people in Scotland were reacting against, and I think they've spoken pretty loudly to Nicola Sturgeon tonight and she has to take it off the table."

The SNP still took 35 seats, while the Conservatives won 13 seats in Scotland, achieving the second largest share of the vote.

- Reuters