Seat left empty at State of the Union speech to honour gun victims

US President Barack Obama will leave one seat empty during his final State of the Union address at the White House next week to represent the victims of gun violence, officials have revealed.

For the first time during his presidency, Mr Obama - a long-time advocate of tighter gun control - plans to leave the seat unfilled to make a political point.

It comes after the president gave an emotional speech detailing his plans to override Congress and introduce more stringent requirements for gun dealers and owners, breaking down in tears as he spoke of the Sandy Hook massacre.

The annual State of the Union address is held to give the president chance to outline his legislative agenda for the coming months, and discuss national priorities.

Despite a few days of heavy campaigning by the White House on the issue of gun control, aides told the New York Times that the Mr Obama's speech was unlikely to focus strongly on the matter, instead choosing to let the empty seat speak for him.