Why Republican Steve Scalise is not House Speaker yet

Republicans have picked Steve Scalise as their choice to be the new Speaker of the House of Representatives after a secret vote.

He beat the other candidate, Jim Jordan, 113 votes to 99, in a closed-door meeting at the US Capitol.

The Speaker is one of the most important posts in the US government, running the lower chamber of Congress.

There will now be a vote of the full House where a simple majority of votes, 217, is required to win the job.

The House was adjourned on Wednesday evening as Mr Scalise scrambled to find enough votes in his party. read more