Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Washington DC

Republican Mike Johnson has just won re-election to speaker of the House of Representatives, after it initially appeared he would lose in the first round. Here's how it went down:

• Members of the lower chamber of the 119th US Congress were sworn in earlier today. Their first order of business was to choose a new leader
• Voting in the narrowly Republican-controlled House began just before 13:00 local time (1800 GMT)
• Democrats nominated their sitting minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and Republicans nominated sitting House Speaker Johnson
• Based on the current number of House members present, any winner needs 218 votes
• The vast majority of members from both parties voted for their own party's nominee
• But the House split is so close that Johnson could not afford to lose more than one Republican

• Three Republicans, Thomas Massie, Ralph Norman and Keith Self, had at first voted against Johnson, seemingly assuring his loss on the first ballot
• A few conservative Republicans had skipped their turn to vote
• There was a risk for Republicans that Democrat Jeffries could have won if their caucus had stayed fractured against Johnson
• But Norman and Self ended up supporting Johnson in the end, pushing him over the edge to win
• The final tally ended up at 218 for Johnson, 215 for Jeffries, and one for another member

Johnson will speak from the House floor shortly, so stay with us for the top lines.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Reuters

As the House of Representatives waited in limbo, Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the most conservative Republicans in the House, stood alone talking on her mobile phone.

Although the firebrand Georgia congresswoman held her phone close to her face, covered by one hand, a sharp photographer snapped a picture of the name displayed on the device’s screen – incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Donald Trump had offered his full support for Johnson’s re-election bid earlier this week, but when the roll call was finished earlier today it was uncertain if that was enough to return Johnson to the Speaker's chair. An extended House leadership vacuum or protracted voting battle would be embarrassments the president-elect – and his White House team – would surely like to avoid.

Johnson's fellow lawmakers are cheering for him and shaking his hand after he won the vote for House Speaker.

Here's a look at the celebrations on the floor.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Johnson is shaking hands and hugging his fellow Republicans on the House floor after two Republicans changed their vote and backed him

Those changes gave him the 218 votes needed to win.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Johnson, with a broad smile on his face, is now shaking hands and hugging his fellow Republican House members.

Last-second arm-twisting resulted in two of the Republican holdouts switching their votes to him, putting him over the top and re-electing him Speaker of the House.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

After nearly 45 minutes since the first round of votes have concluded, we've just heard the gavel that will finalize the official count.

Lawmakers were able to change their votes up until the tallies are gavelled.

Johnson has just been announced "duly elected" Speaker of the 119th Congress.

Two Republicans have just changed their votes to support Mike Johnson, giving him the 218 votes necessary to win House Speaker re-election after it had initially seemed like he would lose the first round.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent reporting from Capitol Hill

As Mike Johnson was falling short of winning the Speaker's gavel here in the House of Representatives, President-elect Donald Trump was complaining on social media about US flags flying half-mast during his inauguration in less than three weeks.

"The Democrats are all “giddy” about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at “half mast” during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves," he wrote on his social media site.

"In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast. Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it."

Carter died at the end of December, and by tradition flags on federal properties are flown at half-mast for 30 days as part of mourning the death of a former president.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

Johnson just exited the House floor trailed by a large group of Republican lawmakers including South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman and Texas Congressman Keith Self.

Both voted against Johnson in the first ballot.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent reporting from Capitol Hill

The House chamber is now abuzz with chatter, as legislators - and some of their spouses and children, who accompanied them onto the floor - wait around to see what happens next.

It appears that we are heading toward a second round of balloting. Mike Johnson's work to retain the speaker's chair is not over.

While this is a setback for Mike Johnson, it's not as bad as it could have been, when a growing number of conservative Republicans were holding back their votes. They ultimately supported Johnson. If they hadn't, the Louisiana congressman would have a much higher mountain to climb.

Now Johnson's task is to convince two of the three Republicans who voted for someone else to switch over to his side.

Though the gavel has not yet sounded, it appears the first-round House speaker voting has finished. Any winner needs 218 votes.

Here's the first-round tally as it stands:

• 216 votes for Republican Mike Johnson
• 215 votes for Democrat Hakeem Jeffries
• 3 votes for other members

But because the round has not yet officially ended, members could theoretically still change their votes. We'll let you know if that happens.

A second round of voting will likely begin shortly.

A setback for Johnson, but not as bad as it could have beenpublished at 18:58 Greenwich Mean Time 3 January

18:58 GMT 3 January

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

While this is a setback for Mike Johnson, it's not as bad as it could have been.

At one point today a number of conservative Republicans held back their votes, surprising some and worrying others. They ultimately supported Johnson, but if they hadn't, the Louisiana congressman would have a much higher mountain to climb.

Now Johnson's task is to convince two of the three Republicans who voted for someone else to switch over to his side.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

The House chamber is now abuzz with chatter, as lawmakers - and some of their spouses and children who are visiting - wait around to see what happens next.

It appears that we are heading toward a second round of balloting.

Mike Johnson's work to retain the Speaker's chair is not over.

We are waiting for the sound of the gavel in the House of Representatives.

Until that happens, members could still change their votes.

But at this stage, it looks like Mike Johnson does not have enough votes to win.

That would mean we go to a second ballot, likely later today.

Stick with us.

There was just a brief commotion on the House floor after Stacey Plaskett, the delegate to the US Virgin Islands, a US territory, protested that certain parts of the country - the territories and Washington, DC - cannot participate in choosing the Speaker.

Since they are not states they can only send "delegates" to Congress, and do not have full representation in either chamber.

The clerk had to bang his gavel several times so that Plaskett could finish speaking.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

The clerk is now reading the names of those who did not vote. Some are casting ballots for Johnson, who has returned and is watching from the front of the chamber.

Chip Roy of Texas, who was considered one of the leaders of the group, just voted for Johnson.

That elicited another round of chatter - and an audible ooo-hoo from one of the Democrats

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Just now Johnson got up and walked out of the chamber.

Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who voted for Mike Johnson but is linked to the hard-core conservatives who have been holding back from supporting the speaker, had walked down the aisle and squatted next to Johnson.

They spoke for several minutes.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, EPA

Mike Johnson is seated at a table near the front of the House chamber, where he has been since the start of voting.

He purses his lips as another Republican, Keith Self, votes for someone else. Johnson could only afford to lose one vote today, and we now expect to have another round of balloting.

Massie and Norman votes take some drama out of 'absents'published at 18:28 Greenwich Mean Time 3 January

18:28 GMT 3 January

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Republicans Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman voted for someone other Mike Johnson, and took some of the drama out of what the hard-core conservatives who have skipped their turn at voting will do.

But if they don't cast their ballots at the end, they still may help elect Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Republican Ralph Norman just voted for Ohio congressman Jim Jordan.

Now it doesn't matter what the Republican holdouts do.

Johnson is not going to win on the first ballot if the votes stay as they are currently cast.

There was an audible murmur from the chamber after Norman cast his vote - mostly from the Democratic side. They can do the maths.