Analysis: Democrat failure to save US speaker hands power to Republican right

Following the ousting of Kevin McCarthy as US House speaker, Dr Thomas Gift and Dr Julie Norman (both UCL Centre on US Politics) warn in The Conversation that the move will likely embolden the far right of the Republican party. California Republican Kevin McCarthy has become the first ever speaker of the US House of Representatives to be ejected from his position. In a 216 to 210 vote, Democrats joined with far-right Republicans to remove McCarthy from office. The "motion to vacate" the speakership, initiated by Florida Republican firebrand Matt Gaetz on October 3, has now plunged the house into civil war. Politically, voting against him was the shrewd thing to do. Supporting a bid to oust the speaker is what we'd expect from whichever party was in the minority. An internal tussle for the speaker's gavel makes Republicans look weak, chaotic, and disorganised.
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