Speaker of the House of Assembly (HOA), Corine George-Massicote said she received a letter from Malone today (Thursday, February 2) and said the contents of that missive gave her notice of his return back to the Unity Government — an administration towards which he’s been antagonistic for months.

The Speaker publicly read Malone’s letter for the House of Assembly today. It read: “After careful consideration and consultation, it has been decided that I would vacate my post as a member of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and rejoin my Virgin Islands Party (VIP) colleagues as a member of the back bench in the Government of National Unity with immediate effect.”

“Pledge to discharge of all relevant information, save for topics of nation security and those limited by protocol,” Malone’s letter further read.

Malone did not provide any details about his motive for returning to the government. However, news of his latest parliamentary crossover comes less than 24 hours after reports that he will be challenging Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley for leadership of the VIP in the coming days.

This is the second time in roughly six months that Malone has crossed the political aisle. He announced back in June 2022 that he would cross over to the parliamentary Opposition as his views no longer aligned with the Dr Wheatley-led government.

That announcement followed his demotion as Minister of Health.