The Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC 1929-2023

The Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC, who died 26 February, 2023, aged 93, was, as Betty Boothroyd, MP, the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons.

Betty Boothroyd was born at Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, 8 Oct, 1929, daughter of Archibald Boothroyd (1886-1948) and his wife the former Mary Butterfield (1901-1982).

She served as Labour MP for West Bromwich, May 1973-74; and Lab MP for West Bromwich West 1974-1992 (when elected Speaker); and MP for West Bromwich West, 1992-2000.

Miss Boothroyd was an assistant Govt Whip in the Commons, Oct 1974-Nov 1975; Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, and Deputy Speaker 1987-1992; Member, Select Committee on Foreign Affairs 1979-81; Member, Speaker's Panel of Chairmen 1979-87; Member of the European Parliament 1975-77; Member of the Labour Party NEC 1981-87; &c.

She was Chancellor of the Open University from 1994; she was raised to the peerage for life in 2000, as Baroness Boothroyd, of Sandwell in the County of West Midlands. She sat as Crossbench member of the Upper House.

She was Sworn of the Privy Council in 1992, and in 2005 she was awarded the Order of Merit, in the personal gift of Queen Elizabeth II.

-=-