On Baroness Boothroyd's retirement as Speaker, then Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy stated: 'As the first woman Speaker, her place in the history books is assured.'
The political stage would soon follow, the journey beginning with a move to London in the early 1950s after getting a job as secretary to two Labour MPs - Barbara Castle and Geoffrey de Freitas.
In 1973, Baroness Boothroyd became an MP herself at the fifth attempt, successfully securing the seat of West Bromwich for the Labour Party.She is believed to have said this would have been her final attempt at entering Parliament - but won the contest with a majority of more than 8,000 votes.Baroness Boothroyd went on to become an assistant government whip for the Labour Party and kept a keen eye on ensuring MPs were in the Commons to vote on key pieces of legislation.
By this time, Baroness Boothroyd had proven herself to hold great authority and conviction and was persuaded by some Labour colleagues to run to replace him. She stuck to the rules and had a no-nonsense style, quickly becoming a household name as rolling television coverage of the Commons began.Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh also attended a dinner hosted by Baroness Boothroyd while she was Speaker
During this time, she spoke twice in the Indian Lok Sabha, once in the Russian Duma and in most European parliaments. Baroness Boothroyd had been critical of moves towards a more presidential style, warning in her farewell speech on 26 July that prime ministers"can easily be toppled" and that parliament"is the chief forum of the nation - today, tomorrow and, I hope, for ever".In 2001, she was created a life peer, taking as her title Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell in the West Midlands.
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