US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the job on Tuesday night by members of his own party in a historic first. Mr McCarthy was forced out as speaker by a contingent of right-wing Republicans after successfully leading a bipartisan effort to avoid a government shutdown over the weekend. It marks the first time in US history that a speaker of the House has been removed from office,  plunging the House and its Republican leadership into chaos. Speaking after the vote, which he lost by 216 to 210, the California Republican said he would not seek the office again. “I may have lost this vote today, but as I walk out of this chamber I feel fortunate to have served,” he said at a Capitol press conference. Action is now halted in the House until the Republicans, who have a narrow majority in the chamber, can agree on a speaker. Subscribe to the Evening Standard: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Evening-Standard for latest breaking news from the UK, US and around the world, plus podcasts and features. Evening Standard on socials: Check out our full video catalog: null Videos, daily editorial and more: https://www.standard.co.uk/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/eveningstandard Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eveningstandard and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evening.standard