US House of Representatives Republicans on Wednesday voted to remove Liz Cheney from their leadership, punishing her for criticising former President Donald Trump’s false claims that last year’s election was stolen from him through election fraud.

Cheney, the daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, voted in January to impeach Trump on a charge that he incited an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.

In recent days the House No. 3 Republican Cheney said the false claims of a stolen election were “poisoning our democratic system” and that anyone who makes such a claim is “spreading THE BIG LIE”.

It was not yet clear when House Republicans will choose a replacement for Cheney in the position of party conference chair, who helps develop Republican positions on legislation and assists rank-and-file members on an array of issues.

Trump and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy have touted Representative Elise Stefanik as the next conference head. But she has drawn criticism from some Republicans for a voting record that they portray as being out of step with conservatives.

Cheney’s critics said her criticism of Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election distracted from party messaging about Democrats and President Joe Biden’s agenda. House Republicans held a secret ballot to oust her from the leadership.

Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of the few House Republicans publicly defending Cheney said in a tweet, “I believe our open lies are an absolute abdication of our duty, and it is shameful.”

Kinzinger was referring to the false claims made by Trump and echoed by others in the party that there was widespread voting fraud in the November election in which Biden defeated Trump, who has claimed that he actually won.

Cheney, who boasts sterling conservative credentials, has run afoul of McCarthy and others in her caucus by repeatedly denouncing Trump’s falsehoods about the 2020 election and insisting that the Republican Party be the “party of truth”.

In a defiant speech on the House floor on Tuesday night, Cheney again blasted Trump and his allies for the false claims about the election.

“Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar,” Cheney said.

“I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence, while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president's crusade to undermine our democracy.”

Most Republican lawmakers, including McCarthy, have sought to placate Trump, whose claims of election fraud were rejected in multiple courts as well as by state and federal election officials.

“It’s clear that we need to make a change,” McCarthy told his fellow Republicans in a letter announcing Wednesday's vote.