Scotland's Sturgeon to make a statement on "way forward" after election result

Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, takes part in a live election debate for Scottish political party leaders in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain June 6, 2017. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon plans to make a statement on Tuesday on the future of Scotland following a British national election which saw Prime Minister Theresa May lose her parliamentary majority. Sturgeon has criticised a deal between May's Conservatives and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party as weakening the United Kingdom. However her Scottish National Party also lost seats in the election which critics say undermines the nationalist case for a new Scottish independence referendum. "I'll be seeking agreement of (the Scottish Parliament) to make a statement later today on the way forward for Scotland after the General Election," Sturgeon said in a tweet. Sturgeon heads a minority executive in Edinburgh's devolved assembly, which has lawmaking powers on a range of domestic issues. A spokeswoman for the Scottish parliament said the time of the statement was still being finalised. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Michael Holden)