Jewish MPs pay their respects to Betty Boothroyd after she dies, aged 93
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Jewish MPs pay their respects to Betty Boothroyd after she dies, aged 93

The first and only female Speaker of the House of Commons was 'inspirational in all she achieved', says Dame Margaret Hodge

Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor

Betty Boothroyd (pic YouTube)
Betty Boothroyd (pic YouTube)

Jewish MPs have joined colleagues from across the political spectrum to pay their respects to the first female Speaker of the House of Commons Betty Boothroyd, who has aged 93.

Boothroyd, who was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, went on to serve as the Labour MP for West Bromwich, before becoming the first woman Speaker from 1992 to 2000.

Following confirmation of her death on Monday, Dame Margaret Hodge, the Jewish Labour Movement’s parliamentary chair tweeted:”Sad to hear the news that Betty Boothroyd has passed away.

“She was a trailblazer for women as the first female Speaker of the House.

“Inspirational in all she achieved. She will be missed by all.”

In a tribute published by the Guardian, Hodge also said Boothroyd “was also personally kind and supportive, and backed you up when you did difficult things. ”

She added:”During the antisemitism row in the Labour party, when I was going through a very difficult time, she came up to me and said ‘well done’.”

Hodge’s Labour colleague Charlotte Nichols also tweeted:”Absolutely devastated to hear news of the death of Betty Boothroyd; she was my idol as a small child and the reason I got interested in politics.

“I’ve only seen her once in Westminster and was too awestruck to even introduce myself, and now I’ll never have that opportunity.”

Lord John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, tweeted:”Betty Boothroyd was a speaker without comparison.

“I worked very closely with her booting the Militant out of the Labour Party. She was a lioness – and also great company.”
The former Speaker had  died at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge on Sunday.

Ex-Conservative minister David Davis said: “Although I had my differences with her, she was a formidable Speaker and had a historic place as the first female Speaker of the House of Commons.”

Former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson simply tweeted: “Betty Boothroyd was magnificent.”

As the only female Speaker to date she was in the chair during the parliamentary wrangling over the Maastricht Treaty, and for some of former PM Tony Blair’s most successful years.

When Conservative leader William Hague remarked on how Boothroydhad governed the lower chamber with “exemplary courtesy, charm and when necessary a little firmness… augmented in pitch by a packet of cigarettes every day”.

Boothroyd, who later sat in the Lords as a crossbench peer, was praised by current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle as “an inspirational woman” who was known for her “no-nonsense style”.

He added:”To be the first woman Speaker was truly ground-breaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache.

“Betty was one of a kind. A sharp, witty and formidable woman – and I will miss her.”

Harriet Harman – the longest-serving female member of the Commons and former Deputy Labour leader – said: “She was a remarkable woman.

“For her, as a woman to get to chair the overwhelmingly male Commons she had to be tough, professional, authoritative and indomitable.”

In 2019 Baroness Boothroyd had givenas powerful speech on the need for a second referendum greeted with a standing ovation to which she replied with her distinctive “order, order”.

 

 

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: