He must formally be confirmed when the House convenes on Wednesday, but that should be a formality as the Republicans have a majority there.

On receiving the nomination, Mr Hastert said: "It's a job I haven't sought. But it came to me, and I embrace it with all the passion and enthusiasm that I can muster."

Although emphasising the Republican agenda of passing a "tax break for the American people", he also reached out to Democrats, saying he wanted to "meet them halfway" in an attempt to tone down the partisanship that has characterised the House in recent years.

Step up for 'The Coach'

Mr Hastert succeeds Newt Gingrich, who stepped down after the Republicans fared poorly in the mid-term elections.

Mr Gingrich's replacement was originally to have been Bob Livingston, but he dropped out after confessing to adultery - an admission which would have hurt the Republicans' attacks on President Clinton.

Mr Hastert, 57, is entering his seventh term in Congress as the Representative for Illinois.

He is generally seen as a traditional, pro-business Midwestern conservative, who also holds the respect of moderates within his party.

He became the consensus candidate as the Republicans desperately sought stable and scandal-free leadership in the wake of the Livingston revelations.