Betty Boothroyd

Lady Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected speaker in the more than 700-year history of the role in April 1992, staying on until October 2000. She ...

With a regular donation to our monthly Fighting Fund, we can continue to thumb our noses at the fat cats and tell truth to power. The Morning Star is unique, as a lone socialist voice in a sea of corporate media. What a raconteur she was!

The first woman in the role breathed fresh life into the image of the UK parliament.

For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. Compare Standard and Premium Digital For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital,

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: 'I am saddened to announce that The Rt Hon. Baroness Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons, has passed ...

the chief forum of the nation”. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the Chair. To be the first woman Speaker was truly ground-breaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache.

Former West Bromwich West MP Baroness Boothroyd was the first female Speaker of the Commons and was hugely respected on both sides of the House. Across the ...

"And of course locally she will be warmly remembered as the MP for West Bromwich West. It is understood she visited Manchester a few weeks ago to see the musical based on her life. "As a young member of the party’s staff, she was also so kind to me. "And as the first woman Speaker she was a landmark figure in British politics. She was a real comrade. I will miss her and will always be thankful for the advice she gave me.

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the first woman to hold the role of House of Commons Speaker, has died aged 93, prompting tributes to her "no nonsense" styl...

"She was my idol as a small child and the reason I got interested in politics," Nichols wrote. She was stern but winsome, she cared about doing things properly (but could be naughty) and loved mentoring newbies. With fairness, firmness, flair and fun". "Thank you, sister for your huge contribution to British political life." "Betty was one of a kind. Labour Women's Network remarked on Boothroyd's 50 years of service in Westminster.

First female speaker of the House of Commons was 'one of a kind', says Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

I’ve only seen her once in Westminster and was too awestruck to even introduce myself, and now I’ll never have that opportunity.” “Betty was a dedicated and devoted public servant who will be dearly missed by all who knew her. She made the role her own, with a wit and style that will never be replicated. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a northern voice speaking from the chair. “Betty was one of a kind. [Lady Boothroyd](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/gallery/2023/feb/27/betty-boothroyd-a-life-in-pictures), a former Labour MP, was speaker from 1992 until her retirement in 2000, and was the first person to be elected to the role after the Commons debates started being permanently televised in 1989.

She became the first woman to be elected Speaker in its 700-year history in April 1992.

She was a great Speaker, widely admired in the UK and in parliaments worldwide. He said: “She cared about doing things properly (but could be naughty) and loved mentoring newbies. She was a parliamentary star without ever being pompous. “Betty was a dedicated and devoted public servant who will be dearly missed by all who knew her. A remarkable woman who dedicated her life to politics, she was an inspiration as the first woman Speaker. She made the role her own, with a wit and style that will never be replicated. “Betty was one of a kind. Her legacy will always be a source of pride for everyone in our community,” he said. My thoughts are with her family and many friends.” But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a northern voice speaking from the chair. Former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair said: “It was a testament to Betty’s many fine qualities that she became the first female Speaker and the first from the Opposition benches. “As speaker, she was at the forefront of a generation that smashed the glass ceiling for female politicians.

Baroness Boothroyd was the first woman to hold the key role, and enjoyed huge respect on all sides of the House.

Betty Boothroyd was born on October 8 1929, the daughter of textile workers in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, where she attended council schools, followed by a spell at Dewsbury Technical College of Commerce and Art. Mother of the House Harriet Harman said: 'For her, as a woman to get to chair the over-whelmingly male Commons she had to be tough, professional, authoritative and indomitable. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the chair. She made the role her own, with a wit and style that will never be replicated.' 'Betty was one of a kind. And she showed us women how to do it!' Lady Boothroyd in her time as a dancer. Boothroyd retired at 70 as Madame Speaker and an MP in October 2000, insisting that the correct protocol was for a Speaker to stand down mid-term and never at the end of a parliamentary session. She worked as a professional dancer from 1946 to 1948 and appeared in pantomime in London's West End as a member of the Tiller Girls' chorus line. 'Although I had my differences with her, she was a formidable Speaker and had a historic place as the first female Speaker of the House of Commons.' She was invited to for a local audition by the John Tiller School in London in the winter of 1946-7, where she was paid about three pounds a week for rehearsals. The former Speaker welcoming the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to a dinner in Westminster in 1996

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the current speaker of the House of Commons, said: 'Not only was Betty Boothroyd an inspiring woman, but she was also an inspirational ...

After she was greeted with a standing ovation she replied with her distincitve, "order, order". She was a character and a half and a formidable force. May she rest in peace." "She will be missed by all". She made the role her own, with a wit and style that will never be replicated," he added. "With fairness, firmness, flair and fun. “Betty was a dedicated and devoted public servant who will be dearly missed by all who knew her. "Betty was one of a kind. My thoughts are with her family and many friends." "Betty was all those things. RIP Betty". But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the Chair.

The crossbench peer broke 700 years of tradition when she was elected the first woman Speaker in the spring of 1992.

“It was an honour to meet her after she left the Commons and went to the Lords. In her 2001 autobiography, she explained her decision to put public service above marriage. After five years in the role, she made history by succeeding him as Speaker. She set a standard for every future speaker.” She handled a fractious Commons with great skill. Boris Johnson hailed her “elegant authority”, saying: “She made history”, while Theresa May described her as “formidable in the Chair” and commanding respect from across the House.

She could defuse a dangerous or tense situation in the Chamber, and transform the snarls of MPs into gusts of laughter.

She was awarded an Order of Merit in the spring of 2005. Of all her attributes for the chair, her voice was an important feature. Lady Boothroyd was the second woman (and first Labour woman) to be voted a deputy speaker in July 1987. She was even popular with those who occasionally proved troublesome in the House. She joined the Labour League of Youth at the age of 16 but her first instinct was to be a dancer. Once she warned High Court judges not to interfere in the way Parliament handled the Maastricht Treaty when the Bill was passing through its tumultuous parliamentary procedures. Lady Boothroyd described the selection of Michael Foot as leader as “a disaster” – which in electoral terms proved to be accurate. Lady Boothroyd led the women’s section of the executive with 4.8 million votes in 1983, and the same year she said that every male chauvinist was “some woman’s son misshapen by her”. The voting was 372-238 – a majority of 134 – over Peter Brooke, the former Northern Ireland Secretary. But this did not detract from the authority she exuded – her silver-grey hair and no-nonsense approach to the task made her a formidable and imposing Speaker. But her first love was politics – and she quit the dance studios. But she continued to hanker after her Labour roots, even when she was Speaker.

Baroness Betty Boothroyd was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons in 1992, becoming the first woman to hold the role.

“Betty was one of a kind. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the Chair. Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the first woman to be Speaker of the House of Commons, has died aged 93, according to current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who said she was “one of a kind”.

Boothroyd became the Commons' first ever female speaker in 1992. People's Vote Campaign Holds 'Wind Is Changing On Brexit' Event.

She occasionally intervened in contemporary politics, calling for a second referendum on Brexit in 2019 and speaking out against Boris Johnson’s government as the She described then-South African President Nelson Mandela’s historic state visit and address to parliament in 1996 as “the most memorable moment” of her time in the Speaker’s Chair. Boothroyd broke around 700 years of British political tradition when she was elected Commons speaker in 1992.

The 93-year-old - the first woman to be elected speaker of the House of Commons - had lived in South Cambridgeshire for many years.

Away from her historic career that started as a member of the Tiller Girls and continued through to becoming the first female speaker, she was a much-loved resident in South Cambs for many years. She became the first woman to be elected Speaker in April 1992, staying on in the role until October 2000. Betty was one of a kind. “She stuck by the rules, had a no-nonsense style, but any reprimands she did issue were done with good humour and charm. The current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle paid tribute to Lady Boothroyd, who died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, as “one of a kind”. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a northern voice speaking from the chair.

Current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle led tributes Baroness Boothroyd, calling her “one of a kind”. | ITV National News.

"Betty was one of a kind. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the Chair. My thoughts are with her family and many friends.” She made the role her own, with a wit and style that will never be replicated. “As speaker, she was at the forefront of a generation that smashed the glass ceiling for female politicians. And in April 2019 she publicly criticised then speaker John Bercow over his attitude to Donald Trump addressing Parliament during a state visit while he was US president.

Betty Boothroyd, the trailblazing first female Speaker in Britain's House of Commons, has died aged 93, drawing tributes from across parliament for her ...

Current speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle described Lady Boothroyd as “one of a kind” and former prime ministers remembered her “authority, warmth and wit”. Lady ...

But at least they’ve got to have a stab at it and make an attempt and it is not [happening] these days.” “Betty was one of a kind. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the Chair. “I don’t say prime ministers have got the answer to every question. However, the former speaker banned women from breast feeding during select committee hearings. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Baroness Boothroyd was “one of a kind”

Betty Boothroyd mastered an often unruly Commons with a mixture of charm, wit and, when necessary, a rod of iron. I doubt we shall see her like again.

I was privileged to enter the House when Betty was speaker. I was fortunate to know her. From high kicking on the theatrical stage to reigning over the tumultuous stage of the mother of parliaments is quite a journey but Betty Boothroyd took it all in her impressive stride.

Following the news that the 'formidable' Betty Boothroyd died at the age of 93 on Sunday (Feb 26), tributes have been pouring in from across her home town ...

They were so proud of her, she was their pride and joy. The Mayor of Kirklees, Coun Masood Ahmed also shared that he was ‘saddened’ to hear the news of Betty’s passing. [Mark Eastwood](/topic/mark-eastwood) described Betty as an ‘incredible inspiration’ who will be remembered for ‘generations to come’.