Kevin McCarthy finally won, but at what price to his party and the US? 

The Republican extremists who blocked their own party's choice for Speaker of the US House of Representatives have gotten their way, and the new fetters placed on the leadership will raise the prospect of prolonged government shutdowns and a historic default on the national debt. They also will jeopardise the party’s future, writes John Mark Hansen

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California points to the newly installed sign as he arrives at his office after he was sworn in as speaker of the 118th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. Picture: AP Photo

For days, Americans and others around the world had their eyes glued to the spectacle of the US House of Representatives trying — and failing, 14 times — to elect a new Speaker. Now, by making even more concessions, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California has finally grasped the gavel. McCarthy has won, but at an alarming cost for the country and his own party.

Some features of the conflict in the Republican Party on display last week are nothing new. Every party has its ideological factions. Others, though, represent a fundamental change. Unlike the dissidents who challenged the congressional leadership in the past, last week’s holdouts belong to the party’s most extreme wing. By forcing concessions, they have made their personal ideological convictions the programme of the Republican Party.