House Speaker waved ruling which barred Opposition Leader Linton from participating in house debates

​House Speaker, Alix Boyd-Knights lifted a ruling she made at the last sitting of parliament, which barred Opposition Leader from participating in parliamentary debates, unless he had issued an apology to her.
 
She made the ruling in October 2016 when Linton was accused of imputing improper motives during a debate of the Supplementary Estimates, and demanded that he apologize, but he refused.
 
When Parliament convened on Tuesday 23rd May 2017, Linton asked whether the ruling still had effect in the current sitting, and stated that the rules did not allow the Speaker to continue punishing him.
 
Following a lengthy discussion in the House, the Speaker said she would make a ruling after lunch.
 
In her ruling at the beginning of the afternoon session, Boyd-Knights said after reviewing the entire matter, she decided to take a different approach. She said her decision was guided by the fact that the member from Roseau Central had asked her to rethink her position, and because the members were taking on her suggestion to read the rules.
 
She added that since Linton is now reading the rules, she hopes he is understanding them, and that he will have a greater appreciation of the repercussions, when he does things outside of the rules.
 
The Speaker said she was therefore withdrawing her earlier ruling, but she had a clear message to parliamentarians, that repetition of any name calling of the Speaker or anybody in the chamber, any such rule is breached, the entire Standing Order 50 will be brought to bear”.