Britain's speaker resigns after 27 years

The first woman to serve as speaker of Britain's House of Commons said goodbye with a cry for which she has become famous: "Time's up!"

Betty Boothroyd, a Labor Party lawmaker since 1973, announced she is stepping down after eight years. She said her decision to resign made her think of the biblical passage "about there being a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance."

To laughter from both sides of the house, she declared Wednesday, "Well, my dancing days are long gone."

She went on: "I shan't weep, I can promise you that, but I shall certainly mourn the fact that an all important phase in my life has come to a natural end."