Kevin Mccarthy Elected US House Speaker

Kevin McCarthy has been elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives amid heated exchanges that almost saw fellow Republicans come to blows.

Report says it took 15 rounds of voting for Mr. McCarthy to win the job, despite his party having a majority in the chamber.

Mr. McCarthy secured 216 of the 428 votes cast late on Friday.

While the New York’s Democrats’ Hakeem Jeffries the first black person ever to lead a party in Congress got 212 votes.

Meanwhile, a dramatic pressure campaign played out live on the House floor as party rebel Matt Gaetz was urged to vote for Mr. McCarthy.

The Florida Congressman was among six holdouts who relented late on Friday.

Heated scenes
Earlier, amid heated scenes in the chamber, Mr. Gaetz had almost come to blows with Rep Mike Rogers a supporter of Mr. McCarthy.

The Alabama congressman had to be physically restrained by colleagues as he bellowed and jabbed his finger at Mr. Gaetz.

Speaking after his confirmation, Mr. McCarthy wrote on Twitter: “I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up on you, the American people.”

US President Joe Biden congratulated Mr. McCarthy for his win and said he looked forward to cooperating with the Republican Party.

“The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now,” he said.

However, Republicans have already pledged to launch investigations into Mr. Biden’s family business dealings and administration.

The Speaker sets the House agenda and oversees the legislative business. The post is second in line to the presidency after the US vice-president.

BBC/CO