Kevin McCarthy was finally elected Speaker of the United States House amid angry scenes in Congress

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Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives after a grueling 15 rounds of voting amid heated exchanges between fellow Republicans.

Mr. McCarthy ultimately won the bitter battle after making numerous concessions to far-right GOP members who blocked his path, raising questions about the parties’ ability to govern.

As tempers rose, Rep. Matt Gaetz withheld his vote on the 14th ballot, sparking a fight in which fellow Republican Mike Rogers had to be voted out.

There were scenes of open hostility as Mr McCarthy won over the rebels in a long-running House election, with the chaos unfolding over four days before finally ending after the deepest dysfunction of Congress for over 160 years.

At one point ultra-conservative Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene held up her phone showing a call from DT, believed to be former President Donald Trump.

Newly elected United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy takes the podium in the House Chamber at the United States Capitol (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Mr. McCarthy now has the power to block President Joe Bidens’ legislative agenda, force votes for Republican priorities on the economy, energy and immigration and advance investigations into Mr. Biden, his administration and his family.

But the concessions he has given to far-right members of his own party mean he will wield considerably less power than his predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, making it difficult for him to strike deals with Democrats in a divided Washington.

After his election, Mr McCarthy told his jubilant Republican colleagues: My dad always told me, it’s not how you start, it’s how you end.

In raucous scenes after losing a vote on the 14th ballot, Mr McCarthy walked to the back of the chamber to confront Republican Matt Gaetz, seated with Lauren Boebert and other Republican rebels.

At one point, Republican Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama, a supporter of Mr. McCarthy, shouted while pointing a finger at Mr. Gaetz and appeared to be held back by another Republican, Richard Hudson.

There were heated scenes after Mr McCarthy spoke to GOP rebel Matt Gaetz (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Stay civilian! someone shouted.

After his election was confirmed, McCarthy wrote on Twitter: I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up for you, the American people.

Speaker of the House is the third highest political office in the United States after the presidency and vice-presidency.

US President Joe Biden congratulated Mr McCarthy on his victory 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’s what we must do now, he said.

The stunning turn of events came after Mr McCarthy agreed to numerous rebel demands, including the reinstatement of a long-standing House rule that would allow any member to call a vote to oust him of his functions.

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But he will emerge as a weakened orator, having ceded certain powers and constantly under threat of being fired by his detractors.

Allowing a single member to call a vote to remove the speaker will give extremists extraordinary leverage.

The agreement would cap spending for the next fiscal year at last year’s levels, which is a significant reduction when inflation and population growth are taken into account.

That could meet resistance from more centrist Republicans or those who have pushed for more military funding, especially as the United States spends money to help Ukraine fend off a Russian assault.

Following Mr McCarthys’ election, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted his congratulations.

He tweeted: Congratulations to @GOPLeader on his election as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. American support in all areas has been vital to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield.

We count on your continued support and additional assistance from the United States to bring our common victory closer.

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