An interview with the Right Honourable Betty Boothroyd

The Right Honourable Betty Boothroyd, MP, was the first woman to become Speaker of the House of Commons. Before that, Miss Boothroyd spent 18 years as a Labour Member of Parliament. As Madam Speaker, she had put party politics to one side, and became the Guardian of the Rights of the House of Commons and all its Members.

In terms of the British Constitution, how important is the role of the Speaker of the House of Commons?

Oh, it is an enormously important position is the Speaker. Of course, it is totally impartial: the speakership does not belong to any one political party. It's like being an umpire and keeping – not just keeping order – but in seeing that all the great rainbow of opinion in this House is properly heard.

On a day-to-day basis, how would you describe your job?

It's very demanding – from very early in the morning until late at night. There is much more to it than just simply going into the Chair of the Chamber and conducting business there. I am Chairman of the House of Commons Commission, this entire establishment of the House of Commons, which costs something like £ 200 million a year to operate through six large departments – so it is a very big business as well.

When you took office in 1992, you were the first woman to hold the position of Speaker. You also became the most important commoner – that is, a person who is not royal – after the Prime Minister. Did this overawe you and how did you feel about it?

It certainly did not overawe me. I regard it as a very great privilege, but that is quite different from being overawed by it. I think you have to keep in mind that I have been a Member of Parliament now for some 25 years. I love this place. I like the way our parliamentary system operates. I never consider the fact that I am a woman. I am not treated in any way differently in my House as a woman.

But it is a very male-dominated House. So did you have a problem at all controlling the male-dominated House right at the beginning?

No, I didn't. Of course, you're quite right, it is male-dominated. But you must remember that since the 1997 General election, far more women members have come in – but it is still male-dominated. I don't think that there is a real problem in controlling the male members here. It is a robust House; it is a confrontational House; it is not hemicycle like many parliaments are. By hemicycle, I mean like the shape of a horseshoe. Many parliaments throughout the world are sort of rounded: that are the shape of a horseshoe. The Chamber of the House of Commons is not – it has two distinct sides to it, the Opposition and the Government.

We have a green carpet on the floor of the Commons and in front of the two front-benches – the Government and the Opposition – is a red stripe, and that is two sword-lengths and one foot apart from each other because hundreds of years ago, Members didn't necessarily just argue, they got out their swords and had a go at each other. And that is a tradition that we have.

You mention traditions. There is, of course, a great deal of ceremony associated with the British Parliament, such as the State Opening of Parliament. Now, you've been quoted as saying that you rather like the traditions, and you'd like to keep them and this new wave of modernization is not required.

There is no challenge at all to the State Opening. That is a tradition. I put on my gold robes at that stage, my Chaplain and my Secretary – and we go into the House of Lords to hear the Queen's Speech. The people of this country enjoy that enormously, no one seeks to challenge that. In terms of modernization, what we talk about is to modernize some of our procedures to get more brisk debate, greater scrutiny.

There is some concern about governments with large majorities failing to keep Parliament fully informed about their decisions and instead rushing to the press and public first. Why is this bad practice? Shouldn't a government be allowed to put its voters first?

No. In a parliamentary democracy, it is those who have been elected who must have the news first and when there is any change of policy or additional policy, it is right that the people who have been elected through the ballot be the first to question that.

You've been quoted as saying when you were elected Speaker that it would be a lonelier life that you'd ever known. Is that how it's been?

No, I'm not lonely. I suppose it is lonely to the extent that I'm gregarious and I am not allowed as Speaker to use the refreshment departments, the bars, and the common areas of the House of Commons. And that is a good thing in many ways. Because what the House says to its Speaker is «Look, we provide a home for you here at the Palace of Westminster. Go and live there and keep out of our way, because if we wish to gossip about you, in the dining rooms, in the bars, in the tea rooms, we can do so very freely.» That's fine for them. It's also fine for me because then I'm not button-holed by Members.

What have been the highlights of your time as Speaker?

I think every day presents something new. One that springs to mind right away, of course, was the visit of President Mandela, when we received the President in Westminster Hall, both Houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We have a lot of steps, very difficult ones – into Westminster Hall, a hall that was built in the year 1080 – a great many steps. An elderly man, frail, he had, I think, difficulty walking down the steps and he took hold of my hand and we walked down together and that was a most thrilling occasion for me.