Betty Boothroyd, first female Speaker of the House of Commons, dies at 93

Betty Boothroyd, who was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, has passed away at the age of 93.

Keir Starmer has led tributes to the former Speaker, saying: “Betty Boothroyd was an incredible and inspirational woman. As Speaker, she was at the forefront of a generation that smashed the glass ceiling for female politicians. She made the role her own, with a wit and style that will never be replicated.

“Betty was a dedicated and devoted public servant who will be dearly missed by all who knew her. My thoughts – and the thoughts of the Labour Party – are with all her many friends and family”.

Boothroyd was born in Yorkshire in 1929 to parents who were textile workers and Labour members. She started her career as a dancer in the Tiller girls dance troupe.

Having joined the Labour Youth league at 16, Boothroyd worked as a secretary for Labour MPs including Barbara Castle. She first stood for parliament in 1957, losing to the Conservative John Peel in Leicester South East.

In 1960, she went to campaign for John F. Kennedy in the United States and spent time working as a congressional aide.

Boothroyd stood for parliament unsuccessfully again in 1959, 1968 and 1970 and was finally elected as the Labour MP for West Bromwich in 1973. She served as a MEP between 1975 and 1977 and sat on Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) between 1981 and 1987.

Boothroyd became Deputy Speaker following the 1987 general election. In 1992, she was elected Speaker of the House of Commons, beating the Conservative Peter Brooke in the first contested vote for Speaker in more than 40 years.

She remains the only woman to have served as Speaker. Campaigning for election, she asked for members to “elect me for what I am and not for what I was born”.

Boothroyd served as Speaker until 2000 and entered the House of Lords as a crossbench peer in 2001. At her retirement, then Prime Minister Tony Blair said she was “something of a national institution”.

Boothroyd also served as chancellor of the Open University. In 2021, the story of Boothroyd’s life was the subject of a musical, Betty!, starring Maxine Peake. Her death was announced today by current Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

Hoyle said: “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.”

He went on: “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.”

Boothroyd never married but is survived by her long-time partner John Guinery.