Republican Kevin McCarthy has been forced out as Speaker of the US House of Representatives after a vote by lawmakers
Lawmakers debated the leadership challenge, and voted 216 to 210 to oust him
"You know it was personal," says McCarthy at the Capitol, accusing his political nemesis Matt Gaetz of attention-seeking
Gaetz, a Florida Republican, filed a formal motion on Monday to eject him, after months of infighting between McCarthy and his party's right wing
McCarthy is the first Speaker in US history ever to be removed in this way after a motion to vacate
All 208 Democrats present voted to remove McCarthy, along with eight Republicans
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
The chamber was mostly silent, with just a few murmurs, as the members of Congress waited to hear the result just moments ago.
"The office of Speaker of the House... is hereby declared vacant," announced the chair to audible gasps.
Several Republicans walked over to McCarthy and shook his hand.
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
The House has voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
The result came after a nail-biting, but lengthy, roll call that required every member to put their choice on the record.
Some 216 members- including eight Republicans - voted to oust the Californian congressman from the Speaker's chair.
Another 210 representatives - all Republicans - voted to retain McCarthy.
This is a huge victory for the rebellious faction of right-wing Republicans led by Matt Gaetz of Florida.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
The vote is coming to a close.
Kevin McCarthy, who is the last to be called on, utters a quiet "no".
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
The Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy are:
With all Democrats voting to vacate the speaker's chair, these eight defections from the Republican side have put McCarthy in deep peril.
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Rep Nancy Mace is an interesting yes vote.
She's not one of the bomb-throwing conservatives like Matt Gaetz and company.
She's a centrist from a district in South Carolina that was previously held by a Democrat.
It shows that dissatisfaction with McCarthy isn't coming purely from his right flank.
Image source, Getty ImagesSam Cabral
BBC News, reporting from Capitol Hill
With Democrats refusing to back him, Kevin McCarthy needed fewer than six Republican votes to go against him to keep his job.
But as the clerk calls the roll in alphabetical order, it only takes until the letter G - and Tennessee Representative Bob Good - for six anti-McCarthy votes to come in.
There are audible murmurs from the Democratic side. Barring a last-minute intervention from those on the opposition side, McCarthy's fate appears to be sealed, and the House is heading towards another battle over the next speaker.
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
So far, Democrats aren't rushing to help Kevin McCarthy keep his leadership. They are voting uniformly to oust him.
There was talk of Democrats coming to the rescue of their chief rival, but Democratic whip Katherine Clark put out guidance earlier today urging members to vote "yes" on the motion to vacate.
It seems like they're following her advice.
The votes are coming through and there's barely anything in it.
We have about 68 votes to remove McCarthy and 65 to keep him as Speaker.
Image source, EPAMembers of the House of Representatives are now voting on a measure to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Here's a reminder of what's happened so far:
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Lawmakers were animated and at times raucous during the hour of debate in a mostly full chamber.
As Gaetz accused his fellow Republicans of lecturing him while being beholden to lobbyists and special interests, a colleague in the back audibly responded: "You're no martyr".
When Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota spoke up in McCarthy's defence, he claimed that the motion to vacate is taking place because Washington no longer values integrity and competence.
A Democrat voice piped up: "We do."
And with that, the debate has come to an end.
We will now go to a vote which will decide the fate of Speaker Kevin McCarthy's political future.
Members will vote by roll-call, with each representative shouting out their verdict.
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Matt Gaetz is trying to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership, but his objections go far beyond just one man.
In his remarks, he’s been railing against how Congress has been conducting its business for years – by combining massive spending bills for different parts of the federal government into “omnibus” bills, often negotiated behind closed doors, that are then voted on in one large package.
In Gaetz’s perfect world, congressional committees representing different parts of the government – armed services, education health, transportation and others – would publicly consider legislation, and then the House and the Senate would approve them individually.
Instead, he says, the committee budget process is “just a side show, just a puppet show, just something to keep the hamsters on the hamster wheel”.
Funding the US government is an unwieldy task, however, and it’s unclear whether anyone – Kevin McCarthy, a different Republican or the Democrats – could conduct legislative business the way Gaetz envisions. It would simply take too long and be too difficult to reach consensus.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe second-most powerful Republican in the House, Steve Scalise, defends Kevin McCarthy, saying the speaker is instituting important reforms to how Congress conducts business.
But Scalise, who has long been a top leader in the party and could be in line to become the next Speaker, does not talk much about McCarthy. Instead, he mostly admonishes Republicans to focus on passing bills and addressing issues important to their supporters.
"Every single day across America, families are struggling with real problems that we're going to have to get back to solving and those problems are real for them," he says.
"Let's keep doing this work that we were sent here to do."
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
A wave of groans rises up on the Republican side of the chamber as Matt Gaetz references a "secret side deal" he alleges Kevin McCarthy cut with Democrats.
Gaetz claims that, in exchange for new US funding for Ukraine, McCarthy secured support from Democrats to fund the government and keep it open ahead of last weekend's deadline.
Image source, Getty ImagesJim Jordan, a conservative lawmaker from Ohio, says Kevin McCarthy has been "rock solid" throughout his time as Speaker, and passed key bills through the House.
"We have done what we told [the American people] we would do," he says, and that McCarthy and the House Republicans cannot help it if the bills did not pass in the Senate.
I think the Speaker has kept his word on important issues, says Jordan, and "I think we should keep him as Speaker".
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Thomas Massie voted in favour of the last motion to vacate in the House, in 2015 against another Republican Speaker, John Boehner.
Speaking a short while ago, Rep Massie told his colleagues that the motion was a mistake and caused chaos. He said Kevin McCarthy has been a significant improvement over Boehner and his successor, Paul Ryan.
"Amen," says one member in loud agreement, as others break out into applause.
As the session continues, some lawmakers have walked in and out - which isn't a surprise given this debate could go on a while.
Image source, ReutersWe're in the first few minutes of what's being billed as an hour of debate - 30 minutes each for Matt Gaetz, who proposed the "motion to vacate" against Speaker McCarthy, and an equal amount of time controlled by Tom Cole of Oklahoma, a McCarthy ally.
McCarthy’s supporters and opponents inside the Republican party are lining up on each side to speak, and we’ll hear from a number of them.
But don't be surprised if the time limits are not strictly adhered to. Right now a vote is scheduled to take place in just under an hour, but that could easily slip.
Remember, you can watch proceedings live by clicking the play button at the top of the page.
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Republican Tom Emmer is now speaking in defence of McCarthy. His name had been floated by some of the Republican rebels as a possible replacement if McCarthy is unseated.
"We need Kevin McCarthy to remain Speaker," he says. "Now it's time for us to stand together stronger than ever so we can get back to the work our majority was elected to do."
Meanwhile, lots of Democrats in the chamber are typing away on their phones.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
A series of Republicans are taking turns defending Kevin McCarthy's speakership, with rounds of applause after each lawmaker finishes their remarks.
On the other side of this debate, Matt Gaetz is not doing most of the talking, but marshalling the defectors. He is copiously making and revising notes as the other side speaks.
He is also making remarks from the centre of the chamber, unlike McCarthy's defenders, and has turned to Democrats a couple of time as he references promises he claims the Speaker has made and broken.
Lead rebel Rep Matt Gaetz speaks to respond to Tom Cole and others supporting Kevin McCarthy.
He accuses McCarthy of losing the trust of Republicans in Congress.
“Chaos is Speaker McCarthy," he says. "Chaos is somebody who we can not trust with their word.”