"ET TU, BRUTUS?" The Latin phrase synonymous with betrayal, immortalised by William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar, was how former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley began his pointed response to a now-deleted but widely circulated social media post by former Foreign Affairs and Caricom minister Dr Amery Browne on May 6.

The quote is an apparent reference to the Latin phrase, "Et tu, Brute?".

The online tension surfaced shortly after Arima MP Pennelope Beckles-Robinson received her instrument of appointment at the President’s House in St Ann’s.