Betty Boothroyd

Betty Boothroyd
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Name	Betty Boothroyd
Caption	Official portrait, 1992
Office	Speaker of the House of Commons
Term start	27 April 1992
Term end	23 October 2000
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Primeminister	John Major, Tony Blair
Predecessor	Bernard Weatherill
Successor	Michael Martin
Office1	Member of Parliament, for West Bromwich West
Term start1	26 May 1973
Term end1	23 October 2000
Predecessor1	Maurice Foley
Successor1	Adrian Bailey
Party	Labour (until 2000), Non-affiliated (from 2000)
Birth name	Betty Boothroyd
Birth date	8 October 1929
Birth place	Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Death date	26 February 2023 (aged 93)
Death place	Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, England
Alma mater	Dewsbury College of Commerce and Arts

Betty Boothroyd. A trailblazing figure in British politics, she made history as the first woman to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons. Her tenure, spanning the governments of John Major and Tony Blair, was renowned for its firm, fair, and often witty command of Parliamentary proceedings. Following her departure from the Commons, she was elevated to the House of Lords, where she served as a Crossbencher.

Early life and career

Born in Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, she was the daughter of textile workers and members of the Labour Party. After education at Dewsbury College of Commerce and Arts, she worked as a secretary and a dancer with the Tiller Girls troupe. Her political career began in earnest as a researcher and assistant, working for prominent Labour figures including Barbara Castle and later in the office of the Leader of the Opposition, Hugh Gaitskell. She also gained valuable experience working for a Member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and served as a member of the London County Council from 1965 to 1967.

Member of Parliament

After several unsuccessful attempts, including contests in Leicester South and Rossendale, she was finally elected as the Member of Parliament for West Bromwich West at a by-election in 1973. In the Commons, she served on the Select Committee for Social Services and became a member of the influential House of Commons Commission. She was appointed a member of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen and served as a deputy speaker, acting as Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means. Her reputation for impartiality and knowledge of Parliamentary procedure grew significantly during this period.

Speaker of the House of Commons

Following the retirement of Bernard Weatherill, she was elected Speaker in 1992, defeating the Conservative candidate Peter Brooke. Her election broke a centuries-old tradition of male speakers. Presiding over a tumultuous period that included the Maastricht Treaty debates and the rise of Prime Minister Tony Blair's New Labour, she was celebrated for her no-nonsense style, famously using the cry "Order! Order!" to control often rowdy sessions. She maintained the authority of the chair with a unique blend of warmth and steel, earning cross-party respect during the administrations of John Major and Tony Blair.

Later life and honours

Upon her retirement from the Commons in 2000, she was immediately elevated to the House of Lords as a Baroness, becoming Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell in the County of West Midlands. She sat as a Crossbencher. In 2005, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Merit by Elizabeth II. She remained an active parliamentarian, speaking on constitutional issues and serving as a Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords. She was also elected Chancellor of the Open University, a role she held for over a decade. Her autobiography, *'The Autobiography'*, was published in 2001. She died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in 2023.

Category:Betty Boothroyd Category:Speakers of the House of Commons (United Kingdom) Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies