Baroness Boothroyd, the first woman to become the UK House of Commons speaker, passed away on February 26, 2023, at age 93.
Baroness Betty Boothroyd came from a working-class Yorkshire family, defying all traditional expectations of what a senior MP should be.
She was elected as MP for West Bromwich in 1973. Her peers elected her as the first and only female speaker of the house in 1992.
Baroness Boothroyd smashed the glass ceiling of the parliament in an era that was tough for women. She became an MP in a Commons where 630 of the 650 MPs were men. She got elected to the speaker’s chair by a Commons that was 90% men. She was a role model and a trailblazer.
She was utterly professional, had breathtaking energy, and was always more briefed than anyone else in the room. Her achievements pale in the face of her warmness, generosity, and kindness. With her demise, the Iranian Resistance and Iranian women lost a dear friend and supporter.
While offering her sincere condolences to the British Parliament, people, and family, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance, reiterated in her tweet, “Betty Boothroyd was a brave, freedom-loving, and noble woman, and the Iranian people and Resistance have lost an unforgettable friend.”
Baroness Boothroyd had personally met with Mrs. Rajavi and supported the Iranian Resistance. She was outspoken against the clerical regime and its violations of human rights in Iran. On many occasions, she addressed the Free Iran rallies.
Baroness Boothroyd described the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 as “the biggest crime against humanity since World War II.”
In a message to an NCRI gathering on International Women’s Day on February 27, 2017, she said, “Today, my friends, we gather together to pay tribute to the women of Iran, particularly those who play an active role in the popular opposition to the theocratic regime. Those women campaign for changes in repressive measures and discrimination against women and girls, both in law and practice, as well as an immediate halt to executions. You know what a courageous stand they have taken in the face of brutal repression and their own possible torture and executions. We salute their courage and determination today and we pay tribute to them at all times.
“I want to tell you, my friends, that a few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Rajavi. And I found a strong, determined leader in her.
“Her clear vision was impressive for the future of Iran, where women would be free to choose simple things like their own clothing, would be able to participate in all the jobs at all levels of administration, administrative positions, and in all the areas of a democratic society.”
In yet another message to the Free Iran 2020 Global Summit on July 19, 2020, she said:
“Nobody symbolizes and represents the Iranian people’s struggle against the regime better than my dear friends in the NCRI and my special friend, President-elect Maryam Rajavi. Her name and her message of freedom make the regime shake to their very core. This is because of her Ten Point Plan, a democratic platform to encompass the aspirations of the Iranian people.
“It provides a democratic alternative for future Iranian generations, and it gives the women of Iran their rights and an opportunity to lead their country and to be part of the shaping of its future. This is what we aim for.
“A lesson of history is that a regime that has repression and terrorism as part of its DNA is destined to fall. This means that a free and democratic Iran is within reach for the people of Iran, as Maryam Rajavi has repeatedly said in her speeches and in her statements.
“That is why I stand with you all, the people of Iran, the NCRI. And I call on my government in this country, the United Kingdom Government, to stand on the right side of history and recognize Maryam Rajavi as the true representative of the Iranian people and her movement, the NCRI, as the only viable alternative to the current regime for the people of Iran can be given a chance to choose their future leaders in a free and fair election in an open and democratic society.”
Iranian women will always remember Baroness Boothroyd as a staunch supporter of their cause in their difficult days of struggle to overthrow the clerical regime.
