Black Country MPs pay tribute to Betty Boothroyd after death aged 93

© Parliament First female speaker of the House of Commons was ‘one of a kind’, says Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Tributes from the Black Country have been held today for Betty Boothroyd, a former MP in the region and speaker of the Commons.

Lady Boothroyd, a former Labour MP, was the first – and currently only – woman speaker from 1992 until her retirement in 2000, and was the first person to be elected to the role after the Commons debates started being permanently televised in 1989.

Lady Boothroyd served as the MP for West Bromwich West, formerly West Bromwich, from 1973 until 2000 and was made a life peer in the House of Lords after her retirement from the Commons. She was also an honorary freeman of Sandwell.

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Betty Boothroyd dies aged 93 as tributes to first female Commons Speaker flood in

Shaun Bailey, the current MP for West Bromwich West, said: “All of us will be devastated by the news that Betty Boothroyd has passed away.

“The respect and affection that people across our three towns held Betty in was a testament to her incredible record as a local MP.

“As the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons, Betty was a trailblazer and her no messing about approach showed exactly how it should be done.

“It’s always been an immense source of pride but also very daunting to follow Betty as the Member of Parliament for West Bromwich West.

“Her legacy will always be a source of inspiration for many, including me.”

Nicola Richards, MP for West Bromwich East, said: “Incredibly sad to hear the news of the death of Betty Boothroyd, former MP for West Bromwich and speaker of the House of Commons.

“Betty’s 27 years in Parliament representing the place she loved will not be forgotten here, nor will the 8 years she spent as one of Parliament’s best-loved House speakers.

“She will be sorely missed, both in West Bromwich and Westminster, and as a town, we send our heartfelt condolences to her family.”

John Spellar, MP for Warley, tweeted: “Betty Boothroyd as well as being a groundbreaking Speaker , was a good neighbouring MP in Sandwell and a stalwart on the Labour NEC in the battle to bring the party back to good sense and electability, a real comrade RIP.”

Kerrie Carmichael, leader of Sandwell council, said: “I am so very sad to hear that Baroness Boothroyd has passed away. She was an inspirational politician, a woman we could all look up to and an MP and Baroness we could proudly call our own.

“She truly led the way – becoming the first woman to hold the position of Speaker of the House of Commons. This was a historic achievement for which she was known around the world.

“Locally, we remember her service to the people of West Bromwich West as their MP, helping residents with so many different issues over many years, and her significant contribution to the borough of Sandwell. She really helped to raise the profile of West Bromwich and Sandwell.

“On behalf of everyone at Sandwell council, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Baroness Boothroyd’s family, friends and colleagues.”

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said Baroness Boothroyd was a “remarkable woman” praising her “passion, wit and sense of fairness”.

Lady Boothroyd modernised the Commons speaker role as she refused to wear the traditional white wig, and ensured her successors would be able to choose whether to do so.

Although, in one of her more controversial moments, she banned MPs from breastfeeding their babies during select committee meetings and imposed a similar ban in the Commons public gallery, according to The Guardian.

Flags both in Sandwell council and parliament are being flown at half mast and there will be a one minute silence held in the House of Commons on Monday. MPs will get the chance to pay formal tributes on Tuesday.

Betty Boothroyd was born on 8 October 1929 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, the only daughter of mill workers.

Her father was a trade unionist. She described herself as coming “out of the womb into the Labour movement”.

In May 1973, after several attempts, she entered Parliament, securing the seat of West Bromwich, later renamed West Bromwich West.

She stepped down from the position in 2000, but continued to be active in politics – calling for a statue in central London to commemorate the part women played in World War Two.

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