Prime minister leads tributes to 'remarkable' speaker Baroness Betty Boothroyd at funeral
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has led tributes to Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the only female speaker of the House of Commons, as mourners gathered for her funeral.
The Prime Minister said she was “remarkable”, adding: “Parliament stands taller because of her service.”
He attended the funeral in Cambridgeshire, alongside Labour leader Keir Starmer and a host of other politicians, as they were replaced by their deputies at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Mr Sunak said: “Today we come together from across the political spectrum to remember one of our greatest speakers – the remarkable Betty Boothroyd.”
Lady Boothroyd, a former Labour MP, died last month at the age of 93.
Four pallbearers carried her coffin in to the 12th-century St George's Church in Thriplow in Cambridgeshire, the village where she had lived for the past 30 years.
Church treasurer Neil Rowland-Hall, 68, told the PA news agency: “She was very popular and she was always very friendly to everybody.
“She took part in the various events that happened in the village. I can remember the Queen’s Jubilee, she was around then.”
He added: “She certainly made her presence felt – in a nice way.”
The Rector of Thriplow, who led the private noon service, said it had been planned by Lady Boothroyd and reflected how highly regarded she was in all walks of life.
Lady Boothroyd had chosen the music, including Climb Ev’ry Mountain sung by Dame Patricia Routledge, “a very close friend” of Lady Boothroyd’s, the Rev Angela Melaniphy told PA.
She added: “What was lovely about it was that her family was there, her very close friends were there, members of the village were there and members of Parliament were there.
“And so it was a service that included all of her life and each part of that reflected how highly she was regarded.”
Baroness Boothroyd became the first woman in Parliament's 700-year history to be elected speaker in April 1992, staying on until October 2000. She then entered the Lords as a crossbench peer in January 2001.
Born to mill worker parents in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, in 1929, Lady Boothroyd was a professional dancer from 1946 to 1948 and appeared in pantomime in London’s West End before going into politics.
She unsuccessfully contested four parliamentary seats before being elected to West Bromwich (later to become West Bromwich West) in May 1973.
Current Speaker Sir Lindsay told the PA news agency: “The service was so fitting. It was Baroness Boothroyd to the end.”
He said he would remember her “not only as a friend, but an inspiration”.
“She smashed that glass ceiling to smithereens. She became the first and only woman speaker we’ve ever had.
"I’ve got to say, what a fantastic speaker. She is one of the greatest speakers ever known. One of the greatest women that I can honestly say that I have known.
“I will always be in awe and always thank her for her kindness and her advice.”
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