Baroness Betty Boothroyd, who has died at the age of 93, was, in no uncertain terms, a parliamentary giant. With a career in Westminster spanning almost 50 years, she was best known for becoming the first (and so far only) female speaker of the House of Commons – a post she held from 1992 to 2000. It had taken over 700 years to see a woman in the speaker’s chair
Boothroyd served as member of parliament for West Bromwich between 1973 and 2000 and, after stepping down as speaker, was elevated to the House of Lords as a crossbench (independent) peer. She remained an active member of the second chamber until very late in her life.
Boothroyd was born in 1929 to mill workers in Drewsbury, West Yorkshire. She started her career as a dancer, joining the Tiller Girl dance troupe. Her natural theatrical flare and love of the limelight put her in great stead not only to be a fierce MP but to be able to tame the beast that is the House of Commons chamber as speaker.
