Republican Mike Johnson re-elected House speaker after dramatic floor vote

House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol in Washington Picture: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Republican Mike Johnson has won re-election to the US House of Representatives speakership on a first ballot, pushing past Republican hard-right holdouts and buoyed with a nod of support from President-elect Donald Trump.

A collection of hardline Republicans convened in the back of the House chamber during a tense roll call on the first day of the new Congress, one by one declining to vote or choosing another legislator.