As it happened: Senate votes to go ahead with Trump hearing

Summary

Donald Trump's impeachment trial will go ahead in the US Senate after a vote declaring it constitutional
He is accused of inciting his supporters ahead of a deadly riot at the US Capitol on 6 January
Six Republicans sided with all 50 Democrats and voted to proceed
Seventeen Republicans will need to turn against their former president to convict him
Democrat Jamie Raskin played new, hard-hitting footage of Trump supporters ransacking the Capitol
The defence lawyers argued it was unconstitutional to put a private citizen through this process
And they accused the Democrats of acting out of spite, to remove a political rival

Marianna Brady and Ritu Prasad

What to expect later todaypublished at 12:31 Greenwich Mean Time 9 February 2021
No other US president has ever been impeached twice and no president has gone on trial after leaving office - so we are in pretty uncharted territory.
The Senate, which is made up of 100 elected members, convenes today at 13:00 EST (18:00 GMT) and the trial will begin with a debate and vote on whether the trial is unconstitutional.
Opening arguments are expected to begin on Wednesday.
Mr Trump, who has been at his Florida resort since leaving office, will not testify, his lawyers have said.
Millions watched the first impeachment of Trump, back in 2019, and his second in January, and this trial starting on Tuesday promises to be another blockbuster.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Trump was at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, and isn't expected to attend the Senate trial
Welcome to our live coveragepublished at 12:26 Greenwich Mean Time 9 February 2021
Image source, AFP
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the first day of Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial in the US Senate.
You might remember that the ex-president was impeached in the US House of Representatives last month - today is the beginning of his trial in the other body in Congress, the Senate.
Throughout the day we will be bringing you all the latest updates, as well as the background and context you need to know about what is happening - and why.