Nicola Sturgeon has called for a "short pause" in the Brexit process so a new UK-wide position can be worked out ahead of negotiations with the EU.

The First Minister said she believes there needs to be a "four-nation" and cross-party approach to the upcoming Brexit talks following the general election.

With Theresa May's Conservatives failing to win a majority, political leaders including the Scottish Tories' Ruth Davidson have called for a more consensus-driven approach to Brexit.

Sturgeon's party won 35 seats in the June 8 vote - a majority in Scotland but down 21 on the 56 MPs it returned two years ago.

She wants membership of the European single market and the customs union to be "at the heart" of a new way forward, with the rights of EU nationals living in the UK guaranteed with immediate effect.

A previous call for a special deal to keep Scotland in the single market was rejected by the UK Government, prompting the First Minister to demand a second independence referendum in March when the Brexit process was triggered.

Sturgeon conceded in the wake of the general election that her plans for a second independence vote were "undoubtedly" a factor in the SNP's losses.

The SNP's proposals for forming a new UK-wide position include involving the devolved governments in the negotiations and re-establishing the joint ministerial committee (JMC) with immediate effect.

The party also wants to establish an advisory group containing cross-party representation alongside representatives of the devolved governments to agree the new positions and oversee the Brexit negotiations.

With Theresa May forging a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to provide backing to a minority Conservative government, the SNP has also urged representation for both sides of the political debate in Northern Ireland in the advisory group.

The Brexit negotiations are due to start on Monday, June 19.

Speaking ahead of meeting the party's new Westminster group later on Monday, Sturgeon said: "In what is a very unstable situation for the UK Government, it is essential that time is taken to secure a consensus over the approach to Brexit negotiations.

"The Tories' hard Brexit plan has been rejected and we cannot allow the Brexit negotiations to become hostage to the inability of either the Tories or Labour to command a clear majority.

"It is imperative that we now build a cross-party, all government approach to Brexit that will protect all of our interests at this highly uncertain time."

She added: "The strongest possible position in the Brexit negotiations will be one that is backed by all parties and all governments across the UK.

"As a first step it is now imperative that the UK Government takes a short pause before beginning negotiations to work with others to put together a new position - one that is truly based on the interests of the whole of the UK.

"The Tory position on Brexit does not carry popular support, is not backed by all four nations of the UK or a majority of MPs and any attempt to continue with it will be disastrous for Scotland and for Britain."

Speaking on Saturday, Ruth Davidson said: 'I want to ensure that we can look again at issues like Brexit, which we know we are now going to have to get cross-party support for and move to a consensus within the country about what it means and what we seek to achieve as we leave."

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We gave a commitment right at the very outset of this process to consult with the devolved administrations and that remains the case."