Republican Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the chairmanship by a vote of 216-210.
Republican in the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy has been voted out of the chair.
216 delegates voted to remove McCarthy and 210 delegates voted against. Eight Republicans, along with 208 Democrats, voted to impeach McCarthy.
It is the first time in US history that the Speaker of the House of Representatives has been forced to resign.
When the vote was complete, McCarthy threw back his head and laughed. A few delegates walked up to him and shook the Republican’s hand.
The duties of the Speaker of the House of Representatives are temporarily taken over by the representative of North Carolina in Congress Patrick McHenry. He voted against McCarthy’s firing.
The motion to oust McCarthy was made by a representative of the Republican extreme Matt Gaetz.
Gaetz is a leading figure in the far-right bloc of Republicans, who last week sought to push through new cuts in exchange for the passage of a package of bills that blocked the shutdown of the federal government.
McCarthy drew the ire of the radical wing of the Republicans when he pushed through the bill with the support of the Democrats.
The news is updated.