<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Kevin McCarthy has been ousted in a right-wing revolt - the first time ever that a US House of Representatives' Speaker has lost a no-confidence vote.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The final tally was 216-210 to remove the California congressman as leader of the Republican majority in the lower chamber of Congress.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ultra-conservatives mutinied after he struck a deal on Saturday with Senate Democrats to fund government agencies.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is no obvious successor to oversee the House Republican majority.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, filed the procedural tool on Monday night to oust Mr McCarthy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He accused the Speaker of making a secret deal with the White House to continue funding for Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At a private meeting of Republican lawmakers on Tuesday evening, Mr McCarthy told his colleagues he does not plan to run for Speaker again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He later took aim at his political nemesis, Mr Gaetz, accusing him of attention-seeking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"You know it was personal," Mr McCarthy told a news conference, "it had nothing to do with spending."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said fundraising emails sent by Mr Gaetz amid the infighting were "not becoming of a member of Congress".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The hardliners who ousted him "are not conservatives", Mr McCarthy added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He only became Speaker in January after a gruelling 15 rounds of voting in the chamber as Mr Gaetz and other right-wingers refused to support him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eight Republicans voted to oust Mr McCarthy in Tuesday's vote. Another 210 - all Republicans - voted to keep Mr McCarthy in the role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Democrats joined with the Speaker's Republican critics to topple him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries had said in a letter to colleagues that he would not provide the votes needed to rescue Mr McCarthy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a left-wing Democrat from the north-western US state of Washington, told reporters before the vote: "Let them wallow in their pigsty of incompetence."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the vote, two Democratic lawmakers laughed about the Republican feuding.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Let the civil war begin," one of them quipped in a lift.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The packed chamber - which Republicans control by a narrow 221-212 majority - was mostly silent as members awaited the result of the roll call vote.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The office of Speaker of the House is hereby declared vacant," declared Arkansas Republican Steve Womack with a bang of his gavel, to audible gasps.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahead of the vote former US President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the party should be "fighting the Radical Left Democrats" instead of each other.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During Tuesday's debate, all of the next three top-ranking members rose to speak in Mr McCarthy's defence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">House Republican Conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik praised Mr McCarthy as "a happy warrior".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One vote against Mr McCarthy that surprised many observers came from a moderate Republican, Nancy Mace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The South Carolina lawmaker said after the vote: "I am looking for a Speaker who will tell the truth to the American people. Who will be honest and trustworthy with Congress, with both parties."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After ousting Mr McCarthy, Mr Gaetz sounded unconcerned when asked whether his colleagues might attempt to remove him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He told reporters outside the Capitol: "If they want to expel me let me know when they have the votes."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry, who supported Mr McCarthy, is now the Speaker pro tempore, or interim Speaker. He gavelled the House into recess.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is unclear if the temporary Speaker will have the full powers of the office, or merely administrative powers and the ability to supervise a new election.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The rules do not state how long a person could fill in as an interim Speaker or when a new election would be held.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is not clear who will replace Mr McCarthy, but Louisiana Republican Steve Scalise and Minnesota Republican Tom Emmer have been mentioned as contenders - though they have not expressed any interest in the role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that President Joe Biden "hopes the House will quickly elect a Speaker", noting that the "challenges facing our nation will not wait". BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>