Prime Minister's Questions: Why are Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer not at the dispatch box today?

It’s Wednesday, which means Prime Ministers Questions, where Rishi Sunak is pitted against Keir Starmer on some of the biggest issues of the day. However, neither of the two men will be at the dispatch box today, with Angela Rayner standing in for Sir Keir while Dominc Raab will stand in for Rishi Sunak.

The pair will be missing from the event, due to start at noon, as they will both be attending the funeral of Baroness Betty Boothroyd, who dies last month at the age of 93.

Baroness Boothroyd, who was born in Dewsbury, was the first – and so far only – woman to be elected speaker of the House of Commons. Her popularity in the corridors of power means a number of high profile politicians and former politicians will be attending her funeral, which will take place near her home in Cambridgeshire.

She shattered more than 700 years of parliamentary tradition when she became the first woman to be elected speaker in April 1992, staying on until October 2000. She then entered the Lords as a crossbench peer in January 2001.

Current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle described Lady Boothroyd as “one of a kind” after her death, as tributes poured in from MPs from across the political spectrum.

Born to mill worker parents in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, in 1929, Lady Boothroyd was a professional dancer from 1946 to 1948 and appeared in pantomime in London’s West End before going into politics.

She unsuccessfully contested four parliamentary seats before being elected to West Bromwich (later to become West Bromwich West) in May 1973.