The first-ever female speaker in the House of Commons has passed away at the age of 93.
Baroness Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected speaker in April 1992 and remained in the role until October 2000. The Baroness was born into a working-class family in Dewsbury in 1929 and was involved in politics at an early age.
Her mother was a member of the women's section of the Labour Party and she would often bring her daughter to rallies which featured the party's biggest names at the time such as Clement Attlee. In the years that followed, Baroness Boothryd would travel to the U.S. to work with John F Kennedy in the 1960s before returning to the UK and becoming an MP for West Bromwich, becoming one of 27 female MPs at the time.
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Tributes from Britain's political world have come flooding in with the current speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, branding her as "one of a kind".
He added: "Not only was Betty Boothroyd an inspiring woman, but she was also an inspirational politician, and someone I was proud to call my friend. To be the first woman Speaker was truly ground-breaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache.
“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 would also take a no-nonsense approach to her role, on one occasion reminding MPs that her role was "to ensure that holders on an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their points of view".
Sir Lindsay added: “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.”
During her tenure as Speaker, Baroness Boothroyd became a symbol of change and modernisation in the House of Commons. She dismissed wearing the traditional wig and would close Prime Minister's Questions with her catchphrase 'time's up!'.
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