First feminine Speaker of UK House of Commons Betty Boothroyd dies

The first feminine speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd, handed away on the age of 93.

London,UPDATED: Feb 27, 2023 22:23 IST

Lady Boothroyd, a former Labour MP, was speaker from 1992 till her retirement in 2000 (Photo: Reuters)

By Press Trust of India: Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the primary feminine Speaker of the UK House of Commons and a well-liked politician who additionally addressed the Lok Sabha twice throughout her tenure, died aged 93 on Monday.

Boothroyd, a Labour Party MP, served because the Speaker between 1992 and 2000, earlier than happening to turn out to be a peer within the House of Lords from 2001. It was throughout her time because the Speaker that she addressed the Lok Sabha and in addition the Russian Duma and several other European parliaments.

“Not only was Betty Boothroyd an inspiring woman, but she was also an inspirational politician, and someone I was proud to call my friend,” said Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the current Commons Speaker.

“To be the primary girl Speaker was actually ground-breaking and Betty definitely broke that cup ceiling with panache. Betty was one in all a form. A pointy, witty and formidable girl – and I’ll miss her,” he said.

Born into a working-class family in Dewsbury, northern England, in 1929, Boothroyd was introduced to politics at an early age through her mother’s membership of the women’s section of the Labour Party.

As a talented dancer, she made a mark with the dance group the ‘Tiller Girls’ but was forced to give up aged 25 due to a foot infection.

In 1973, Boothroyd became an MP, securing the seat of West Bromwich for the Labour Party, and became one of 27 female MPs in the House of Commons at the time.

“Elect me for what I’m, and never for what I used to be born,” she mentioned in her acceptance speech, when she was elected with overwhelming cross-party assist as the primary feminine Speaker in 1992.

She is credited with modernising the position of Commons Speaker, refusing to put on a standard wig – a call which was accepted by MPs.

She is finest recognized for a no-nonsense model and for firmly calling “time’s up” on the finish of the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).

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Published On:

Feb 27, 2023