Petition · past parliament
Let's have a woman as next House of Commons Speaker
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
In over 600 years Parliament has only ever had one woman Speaker. It’s time for the next. A woman Speaker will:
Change the face of Parliament
Show women and girls that politics is for women as well as men
Send a positive message about women’s empowerment to democracies around the world
Change the face of Parliament
Show women and girls that politics is for women as well as men
Send a positive message about women’s empowerment to democracies around the world
There have been 156 male Speakers but only one woman, Betty Boothroyd who was Speaker from 1992-2000. There are 211 women MPs and 439 male MPs. The PM, Opposition Leader and Leader of the SNP in Westminster are all men, yet half of the UK population are women.
The House of Commons is known as the Mother of all Parliaments and is looked to by democracies around the world.
It’s time for change.
The House of Commons is known as the Mother of all Parliaments and is looked to by democracies around the world.
It’s time for change.
Why it was rejected
It was about honours or appointments, which petitions cannot cover.
Timeline
| 13 Sep 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 18 Sep 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
18 Sep 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.