Betty Boothroyd Autobiography: The Autobiography

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Running for the Labour Party, Boothroyd contested several seats– Leicester South East in 1957, Peterborough in 1959, Nelson and Colne in 1968, and Rossendale in 1970 – before being elected Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich in a by-election in 1973. [10] She represented the constituency for 27 years. Honorarygraduateschronological". City, University of London. Archived from theoriginal on 14 September 2013 . Retrieved 29 July 2017. After moving to London in the 1950s, she worked for two influential Labour MPs, Barbara Castle and Geoffrey de Freitas. Boothroyd, whose parents were textile workers, grew up in northern England. She originally envisioned a career as a dancer, and after attending Dewsbury College of Commerce and Art, she performed for a time with a troupe called the Tiller Girls, a successful stage and television act. House Heroes". PoliticsHome.com. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019 . Retrieved 25 March 2019.

But Boothroyd followed her dreams as a professional dancer from 1946 to 1948 and appeared in pantomime inthe West End before finally going into politics.

Betty Boothroyd: Funeral held for first woman Commons Speaker". BBC News. 29 March 2023 . Retrieved 29 March 2023. Honorary degrees". 21 July 1995. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017 . Retrieved 29 July 2017. London Borough Council Elections 7 May 1964" (PDF). London Datastore. London County Council . Retrieved 3 May 2022.

Honorary graduates chronological". City, University of London. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013 . Retrieved 29 July 2017. Boothroyd took her seat as a crossbench peer in 2001 when she retired from the speakership. Honours and honorary degrees were heaped upon her, by universities including Oxford, Cambridge, London and St Andrews, but her personal interests centred on her role as chancellor of the Open University. It was a post she was invited to accept because of her support for the universal right to adult education.Artwork–BaronessBoothroyd". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017 . Retrieved 29 July 2017. Boothroyd was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in 1929, the only child of Ben Archibald Boothroyd (1886–1948) and his second wife Mary ( née Butterfield, 1901–1982), both textile workers. She was educated at council schools and went on to study at Dewsbury College of Commerce and Art (now KirkleesCollege). From 1946 to 1952, she worked as a dancer, as a member of the TillerGirls dancing troupe, [5] briefly appearing at the LondonPalladium. A foot infection brought an end to her dancing career and she entered politics, something then unusual, as the political world was heavily male-dominated and mostly aristocratic. [6] Betty Boothroyd with the prime minister Tony Blair, who unveiled a portrait of the speaker by Jane Bond in the reception at No 1 Parliament Street, Westminster, in 2000, the year of her retirement. Photograph: Peter Jordan/PA Archive/Press Association Images Boothroyd received at least eight honorary degrees in recognition of her political career, [48] including:

Betty Boothroyd, in full Baroness Boothroyd, of Sandwell in the County of West Midlands, (born October 8, 1929, Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, England—died February 26, 2023, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England), British Labour Party politician who was the first female speaker of the House of Commons (1992–2000). It was a privilege to be in parliament during her tenure and to know her as the big-hearted and kind person she was. My thoughts are with her family and many friends.” Langdon, Julia (27 February 2023). "LadyBoothroydobituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 29 March 2023. Rentoul, John (4 April 2019). "TheHouseofCommonsissodividedonBrexitithashaditsfirsttiedvotefordecades". TheIndependent . Retrieved 3 May 2022. BettyBoothroyd:ToParliamentandbeyond". BBC. 24 October 2001. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009 . Retrieved 21 January 2009.Speaking to Andrew Marr on LBC, Harman said: “I think it was all the more important then that she was a woman speaker because it was such a man’s world and therefore the symbol of having a woman in the chair was incredibly important not just for parliament but for all of public life. It basically said, ‘look, a woman can be an authority over all of these men’,” Harman added. Llefarydd Tŷ'r Cyffredin, Aelod Senedd Ewrop, aelod o Dŷ'r Arglwyddi, Chairman of Ways and Means, aelod o Gyfrin Gyngor y Deyrnas Unedig, Aelod o 52ain Senedd y Deyrnas Unedig, Aelod o 51ain Senedd y Deyrnas Unedig, Aelod o 50fed Llywodraeth y DU, Aelod o 49fed Llywodraeth y DU, Aelod o 48fed Llywodraeth y DU, Aelod o 47fed Llywodraeth y DU, Aelod o 46ed Llywodraeth y DU, Aelod o 45ed Llywodraeth y DU, Aelod o 51ain Senedd y Deyrnas Unedig, Chancellor of the Open University Former prime ministers also shared their tributes, with Sir Tony Blair describing her as a “big-hearted and kind person”, and the ex-Conservative prime minister Sir John Major said she was “easy to like and easier still to admire”. Langdon, Julia (27 February 2023). "LadyBoothroydobituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 27 February 2023.