The first woman Speaker in Britain's House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd (born 1929), a Labour Party member, was the first Speaker in the 20th century chosen from an opposition party.

MPs (Members of Parliament) dragged Betty Boothroyd to the speaker's chair despite the traditional show of reluctance on April 27, 1992. Her triumph by 372 votes to 238 over former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Brooke marked the first contested election for the coveted position for 40 years. MPs marked the occasion by breaking with another tradition and giving her a round of applause, normally not heard in the British House of Commons.

As controller of the Commons proceedings and spokesperson for the lower house of Parliament, Boothroyd became a familiar figure to the British nation. Although she refused to wear the knee breeches and wig traditionally worn by her predecessors, she added her own trademark to the familiar cry of "Order, order" long used...