Baroness Betty Boothroyd, first female Commons speaker, dies aged 93

Tributes across the political spectrum paid to ‘one of a kind’

Politicians from across the spectrum have paid tribute to Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the first woman to be elected Commons speaker, who has died aged 93.

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

Lady Boothroyd shattered more than 700 years of parliamentary tradition when she became the first woman to be elected Commons speaker in April 1992, staying on until October 2000. She then entered the Lords as a crossbench peer in January 2001.

Sir Lindsay said: “To be the first woman speaker was truly ground-breaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache.

Lady Boothroyd with her portrait by Jane Bond in Westminster, 2000 (PA)

“She was from Yorkshire, and I am from Lancashire – so there was always that friendly rivalry between us. But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a northern voice speaking from the chair. She stuck by the rules, had a no-nonsense style, but any reprimands she did issue were done with good humour and charm.

“Betty was one of a kind. A sharp, witty and formidable woman – and I will miss her.”

The former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair said: “She was a truly outstanding speaker, presiding with great authority, warmth and wit, for which she had our deep respect and admiration.”

Theresa May said: “I will always remember her inimitable style, but also her immense personal warmth and kindness.”

Sir John Major said: “Betty Boothroyd was a superb speaker, easy to like and easier still to admire. As speaker, she was full of common sense, and utterly fair in her rulings. She handled a fractious Commons with great skill. She set a standard for every future speaker.”

Betty Boothroyd was born in Dewsbury in 1929 and was introduced to politics at an early age through her mother’s membership of the women’s section of the Labour Party.

The baroness stood four times unsuccessfully to be an MP and finished fewer than 7,000 votes behind the Conservative candidate in her first attempt in the Leicester South East by-election in 1957.

In 1973, she won the seat of West Bromwich for the Labour Party with a majority of more than 8,000 votes, becoming one of 27 female MPs in the House of Commons at the time.

Betty Boothroyd was an assistant government whip before becoming a member of the European parliament in 1975.

In 1987, the Labour MP was appointed deputy speaker of the Commons – a position she would hold until 1992 when Bernard “Jack” Weatherill announced he was stepping down as speaker. Baroness Boothroyd won a vote by 372 votes to 238 against Conservative MP John Brooke.

“Elect me for what I am, and not for what I was born,” she said in her acceptance speech.

Lady Boothroyd refused to wear the traditional speaker’s wig, modernising the role. However, the former speaker banned women from breast feeding during select committee hearings.

Baroness Betty Boothroyd at the People’s Vote Rally in Assembly Hall, Westminster. (PA)

Lady Boothroyd described Nelson Mandela’s parliament address in 1996 as “the most memorable moment of my time as speaker”.

Lady Boothroyd stood down from her position as speaker in 2000 after eight years in the chair presiding over MPs.

In 2001, the former Labour MP was created a life peer, taking as her title Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell in the West Midlands, and published her autobiography.

In 2005, she was given an Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II. The Baroness also continued to weigh in on political issues. She called for another Brexit referendum in 2019.

Speaking about Partygate, she said: “The prime minister is there to answer questions about what the government is doing, why is it not doing it. I don’t say prime ministers have got the answer to every question. Of course, they haven’t. But at least they’ve got to have a stab at it and make an attempt and it is not [happening] these days.”