Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the primary lady Speaker of the Home of Commons, has died aged 93.
Present Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, issued a press release on Monday saying: ‘Not only was Betty Boothroyd an inspiring woman, but she was also an inspirational politician, and someone I was proud to call my friend.’
Sir Lindsay provided his ‘heartfelt condolences’, on behalf of the Commons, to Baroness Boothroyd’s household and family members.
She grew to become the primary lady to be elected Speaker in 700 years in April 1992, staying within the job till October 2000.
‘To be the first woman Speaker was truly ground-breaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache,’ Sir Lindsay’s assertion added.
‘She was one of a kind. A sharp, witty and formidable woman – and I will miss her.’
Sir Lindsay, from Lancashire, revealed how he had a ‘friendly rivalry’ with Baroness Boothroyd, from Yorkshire.
‘But from my point of view, it was heartening to hear a Northern voice speaking from the Chair,’ he mentioned.
‘She stuck by the rules, had a no-nonsense style, but any reprimands she did issue were done with good humour and charm.’ ‘
Flags are flying at half mast in Westminster following information of the ‘trailblazer’ politician’s demise, with MPs additionally holding a minute’s silence in reminiscence of the ‘ground-breaking parliamentarian’.
Baroness Boothroyd was elected Labour MP for West Bromwich West in 1973 – changing into one among simply 27 feminine MPs within the Home of Commons on the time.
She was appointed deputy Speaker in 1987, holding the place till 1992, when Bernard Weatherill introduced he was quitting as Speaker, paving the best way for her personal tenure within the Commons.
In her acceptance speech, she referred to as on MPs to ‘elect me for what I am and not for what I was born’.
And through her first time within the chair as Speaker, then Burnley MP, Peter Pike, requested her: ‘What do we call you?’
‘Call me Madam’ was her swift riposte.
Dewsbury-born Baroness Boothroyd, who grew to become a crossbench peer within the Lords in January 2001, attributed her famously deep voice to smoking ‘about a packet a day’.
She previously labored as knowledgeable dancer and took to the stage in a West Finish pantomime earlier than coming into politics.
Former PM Tony Blair praised Baroness Boothroyd’s ‘great authority, warmth and wit’, for which she earned ‘deep respect and admiration’.
‘It was a testament to Betty’s many effective qualities that she grew to become the primary feminine Speaker and the primary from the Opposition benches,’ Mr Blair mentioned in a press release.
Mr Blair’s predecessor, Sir John Main, mentioned she ‘set the standard for every future speaker’, describing her as ‘easy to like and easier still to admire.’
Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer mentioned Baroness Boothroyd was ‘at the forefront of a generation that smashed the glass ceiling for female politicians’.
Rishi Sunak mentioned the ‘passion, wit and sense of fairness she brought to politics will not be forgotten’.
Theresa Might mentioned she would at all times keep in mind her ‘inimitable style, but also her immense personal warmth and kindness’, whereas Gordon Brown described her as ‘tough, yet compassionate and caring.’
In the meantime Mom of the Home Harriet Harman hailed her as a ‘remarkable woman’.
‘For her, as a lady to get to chair the overwhelmingly male Commons she needed to be powerful, skilled, authoritative and indomitable.
‘Betty was all those things. And she showed us women how to do it! RIP Betty.’
Former Labour deputy chief, Tom Watson, tweeted: ‘To my parliamentary colleagues she was always ‘Madam Speaker’ however to my constituents she was merely ‘Our Betty’. RIP Betty. You had been cherished.’
Former Scottish Conservative celebration chief, Ruth Davidson, described Baroness Boothroyd as ‘magnificent’ and Overseas Secretary James Cleverly tweeted how she was a ‘trailblazer’.
In the meantime Lord Pickles recalled a ‘much-treasured memory’ of the Baroness Boothroyd and former Labour chancellor, Dennis Healy, singing musical corridor songs round a piano.
Conservative MP Shaun Bailey, who now represents her former constituency, mentioned he has ‘always been conscious that I’m following within the footsteps of somebody who paved the best way for thus many’.
‘Her legacy will always be a source of pride for everyone in our community,’ he added.
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