Mike Johnson elected US House speaker

The news: The US House of Representatives has finally elected Republican Mike Johnson, a conservative with little leadership experience, as speaker.

The numbers: Johnson was elected by a 220 to 209 vote along party lines. The powerful role has been vacant for 22 days since Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a small group of his fellow Republicans.

The context: The appointment finally ends a turbulent three weeks that left the rudderless chamber unable to carry out any of its basic duties and helped to push up the US government's borrowing costs. Republicans, who narrowly control the House by a 221-212 margin, had their divisions on display over the past few weeks, as they nominated three candidates for speaker who failed to win election. Johnson is best known as the author of an unsuccessful appeal by 126 House Republicans to get the Supreme Court to overturn election results in states that Donald Trump lost in the 2020 presidential election. First elected in 2016, he is the least experienced House speaker in decades.