FORMER SNP MP Joanna Cherry has urged Nicola Sturgeon to apologise over her party’s dismal showing at the general election - after being reduced to single digits at Westminster.

Ms Cherry lost her Edinburgh South West seat on Thursday evening, having been the MP for the constituency since 2015.

She had been expected to win re-election, but lost by 6,217 votes to Labour as the Nats suffered a nightmare result across the country.

And Ms Cherry, who previously clashed with Ms Sturgeon due to her stance on gender self-ID, has criticised the former First Minister for her part in falling SNP support.

She told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips: "It was difficult to persuade people to vote SNP in this election.

“Many, many former constituents said to me on the doorstep; 'I would vote for you Joanna but I just can't vote SNP this time'.

"Our core support, the people who believe passionately in the cause of Scottish independence, was very disillusioned at the party's failure to progress the cause of independence and failure to take advantage of some of the opportunities that were presented to us during the Brexit saga and also during the Boris Johnson premiership.

"And on the other hand there were a lot of people who voted for us in the past in Scotland who didn't necessarily support independence but saw us as a strong and competent government at Holyrood, and also a party that governed with integrity.

"And I'm afraid to say, I'm not ashamed because it's not down to me, but I am afraid to say and ashamed for my party, that both our reputation of governing competently and for integrity has taken a severe battering in the last couple of years."

Asked whether the former first minister owed the party an "apology", she responded: "I think she does.

"I don't think you can ever blame a setback like this on one person, however, Nicola Sturgeon was a very strong leader who brooked no debate and no dissent, as I know to my considerable cost."