Betty Boothroyd

Whatever your age, think about the young generation. And try to give them back the future being taken from them. ”

There are very good people in the Labour Party who I would like to see in leadership. ”

People talk often of Brexit as the biggest challenge since the Second World War. It is certainly proving to be a lot more difficult and complicated than was promised by those who won the referendum campaign in 2016. ”

Do not let anyone get away with the argument that tearing our country out of one of the most successful partnerships in our history is somehow a great act of patriotism. It is not. ”

The high reputation of Westminster abroad is not entirely reflected at home. ”

Being speaker has afforded me a unique opportunity to serve parliament, for which I am immensely grateful. ”

I say to myself: ‘Come on, Betty, you can’t have everything in life. You’ve been very lucky.’" ”

My dreams of taking the West End by storm as a dancer flickered but then faded; my father’s ambition to see me in a steady office job was tried and abandoned. But I had won a national speaking award, had stood for election to the local council, had begun to travel and took a job working for the Labour Party." ”

I travelled to Germany to witness for myself what nationalism, populism and the breakdown of peace between the great European nations had done. Amidst the rubble I made great friends who have remained friends for the rest of our lives. ”

It’s like miners’ coal dust underneath your fingernails. Very difficult to scrub out. I’m a social democrat to my fingertips. ”