Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd OM PC was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000. From 1992 to 2000, she served as Speaker of the House of Commons. She was the only woman to have served as Speaker.
Betty Boothroyd Obituary
Betty Boothroyd, the first woman to be speaker of the House of Commons, has died at the age of 93, according to the current speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who described her as “one of a kind”.
“To be the first woman speaker was truly groundbreaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache … She stuck by the rules and had a no-nonsense style, but any reprimands she did issue were done with good humor and charm.
“Betty was one of a kind. A sharp, witty, and formidable woman – and I will miss her.”
Lady Boothroyd, a Labour MP, was speaker from 1992 to 2000 and was the first person to be elected to the role after the Commons debates started being permanently televised in 1989. She was later made a life peer in the House of Lords.