29 March 2023 , 15:09
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Betty Boothroyd was lauded as one of this country’s greatest female politicians as she was laid to rest today.
MPs from across the political divide came together to pay tribute to the trailblazer who is the only woman to become Commons Speaker.
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer were among mourners at a funeral service in the Cambridgeshire village she called home in her later years.
The pair missed Prime Minister’s Questions to join the current Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle at the gathering at St George's Church in Thriplow.
Lady Boothroyd died last month aged 93.
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Mr Sunak called her "remarkable" as he led the tributes, saying: "Parliament stands taller because of her service."
Lady Boothroyd's coffin is carried into church for the funeral (PA)"Today we come together from across the political spectrum to remember one of our greatest Speakers - the remarkable Betty Boothroyd,” he added.
Sir Lindsay said she was one of the "greatest women" he had ever known and he will always be "in awe".
"She smashed that glass ceiling to smithereens. She became the first and only woman speaker we've ever had,” he said as he spoke outside the funeral.
"Well 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."
Keir Starmer arrives to pay his respects to former Speaker (PA)He added: "Didn't she climb some hills, from Yorkshire to the hills of Westminster, she took every challenge in her stride and didn't she know how to do it.”
The Reverend Angela Melaniphy told the funeral service that to villagers, Lady Boothroyd was "simply Betty".
"She was a very popular resident. She was really a member of the village,” she said.
"She drank at the local pub, she shopped at the local shop. She actually was a neighbour, she used to visit housebound neighbours and chat to them.
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Rishi Sunak shakes hands at the funeral (PA)"In later years, she walked down her drive and sat on a bench outside her house and chatted to people who came past."
The vicar, who led the service, said it had been “Betty's service”.
"She'd planned it, she'd chosen all the music. The entry music was Climb Ev'ry Mountain sung by Dame Patricia Routledge, who was a very close friend of Baroness Betty Boothroyd's,” she added.
Lady Boothroyd, a former Labour MP, shattered more than 700 years of parliamentary tradition when she became the first woman to be elected Speaker in April 1992, staying on until October 2000.
Current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was also in attendance (PA)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 in May 1973.