Speaker Nancy Pelosi steps down after Republicans take control of the House

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will leave her leadership role in January (Picture: AP)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced she will step down, after Republicans regained control of the chamber.

Pelosi, 82, will leave her leadership role in January, saying ‘now we must move boldly into the future’.

‘I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,’ Pelosi said on the House floor on Thursday.

‘For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.

‘And I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility.’

Pelosi will remain in Congress representing her district in San Francisco, California, as she has done so for 35 years.

Pelosi’s decision came the day after Republicans won the 218 seats needed to regain control of the House.

She took home two versions of her speech on Wednesday to review. Pelosi spent the evening watching the House election results in the final states, according to her spokesman Drew Hammill.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) made a famous clap at then-President Donald Trump (bottom left) during his State of the Union address in 2019 (Picture: AP)

Pelosi ‘has been overwhelmed by calls from colleagues, friends and supporters’, said Hammill on Wednesday.

She made history by being the first woman to serve as House speaker in 2007. Democrats lost control of the House in 2010, making her the minority leader, but she returned to the gavel when her party retook the majority in 2018.

Pelosi received a standing ovation after her speech and hugs from her colleagues.

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Nancy Pelosi, 82, made history by being the first woman to serve as speaker of the House.