Boothroyd was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in 1929, as 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 Kirklees College). From 1946 to 1952, she worked as a dancer, as a member of the Tiller Girls dancing troupe,[5] briefly appearing at the London Palladium. 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]
In 1974, Boothroyd was appointed an assistant Government Whip. In 1975, she became a Government-appointed member of the then European Common Assembly (ECSC) until she was discharged in 1977.[12][13][14][15] In 1979, she became a member of the Select committee on Foreign Affairs, until 1981, and of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen, until 1 January 2000.[16] She was a member of the Labour Party National Executive Committee (NEC) from 1981 to 1987,[16] and the House of Commons Commission from 1983 to 1987.[17]
Following the 1987 general election Boothroyd became a Deputy Speaker to the Speaker Bernard Weatherill. She was the second female Deputy Speaker in British history after Betty Harvie Anderson. In 1992 she was elected Speaker, becoming the first woman to hold the position. There was debate about whether Boothroyd should wear the traditional Speaker's Wig. She chose not to but stated that any subsequent Speakers would be free to choose to wear the wig or not; none have since done so.[18] In answer to the debate as to how she should be addressed as Speaker, Boothroyd said: "Call me Madam".[19]
In 1993, the Government won a vote on the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty due to her casting vote (exercised in accordance with Speaker Denison's rule). It was subsequently discovered that her casting vote had not been required, as the votes had been miscounted, and the Government had won by one vote.[20][21] She was keen to get young people interested in politics, and in the 1990s appeared as a special guest on the BBC's Saturday morning children's programme Live & Kicking.[22] Her signature catchphrase in closing Prime Minister's Questions each week was "Time's up!"[3]
On 12 July 2000, following Prime Minister's Questions, Boothroyd announced to the House of Commons she would resign as Speaker after the summer recess. Tony Blair, then prime minister, paid tribute to her as "something of a national institution". Blair's predecessor, John Major, described her as an "outstanding Speaker".[23] She stepped down as Speaker and resigned as an MP on 23 October 2000.[24]
Life peerage and later activity
Boothroyd was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law (Hon DCL) by the City University London in 1993. She was chancellor of the Open University from 1994 until October 2006 and donated some of her personal papers to the University's archives. In March 1995, she was awarded an honorary degree from the Open University as Doctor of the University (DUniv). In 1999 she was made an Honorary Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford.[25] Two portraits of Boothroyd have been part of the parliamentary art collection since 1994 and 1999, respectively.[26][27]
On 15 January 2001, she was created a life peer, taking as her title Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell in the County of West Midlands.[28] Her autobiography was published in the same year. In April 2005, she was appointed to the Order of Merit (OM), an honour in the personal gift of the Queen.[29]
In January 2011, Boothroyd posited that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's plans for some members of the upper house to be directly elected could leave Britain in constitutional disarray: "It is wantonly destructive. It is destruction that hasn't been thought through properly." She was concerned that an elected Lords would rival the Commons, risking power-struggles between the two.[33]
Personal life and death
Boothroyd neither married nor had children.[34][35] She took up paragliding while on holiday in Cyprus in her 60s. She described the hobby as both "lovely and peaceful" and "exhilarating".[36] In April 1995, whilst on holiday in Morocco, Boothroyd became trapped in the Atlas Mountains in the country's biggest storm in 20 years. Her vehicle was immobilised by a landslide; she and a group of hikers walked through mud and rubble for nine hours before they were rescued.[37][38]
Gules, a representation of the mace of the Speaker of the House of Commons palewise Or surmounted in base by a rose Argent barbed and seeded Proper over all on a fess Gold an owl guardant Proper between two millrinds Sable.
Atop the lozenge is a green forget-me-not bow or lovers' knot which indicates that she never married.
Symbolism
The mace is a symbol of Parliament, and thus represents Lady Boothroyd's role as Speaker of the House of Commons. The white rose represents Lady Boothroyd's home county of Yorkshire, while the owl represents her alma mater, Dewsbury Technical College. The millrinds refer to her constituency of West Bromwich because they symbolise the industrial revolution, which is a dominant part of that area's history. Her motto can be explained in her own words: I only speak when I've got something to say, and when I've something to say, I'm trying to serve my country, and to serve the philosophy that I cherish very much. The green bow atop of the crest (forget-me-not bow or lovers' knot) indicates that she has not been married.[47][48]
Honorary degrees
Boothroyd received at least eight honorary degrees in recognition of her political career,[49] including:
^"Baroness Boothroyd". UK Parliament Website. Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
^"Sir Victor Raikes Resigns Seat". The Times. No. 53994. 9 November 1957. p. 3. ISSN0140-0460.
^Betty Boothroyd Autobiography Paperback – 3 Oct 2002 (synopsis). ASIN0099427044.
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)