But while his position as leader may be safe until general elections, does he enjoy the support of the rest of his party?
Out of the five UDP members in the House of Representatives, only two showed up for the budget debate. Patrick Faber didn't get there until the second half of the first day, and was missing during Barrow's response to the budget.
It's not a good look for a party that wants to be a robust opposition. But Barrow said that shouldn't be the main focus, especially since two of the missing three members - Hugo Patt and Tracy Panton - had good reasons for their absence.
But what about the elusive Denise Barrow? Sista B is not one for the limelight, and she has never attended a House Meeting, but the party leader says she doesn't have to since her work speaks for itself.
But then does that mean the other area reps should do the same?
Here's how Barrow put it.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"We have to be reasonable and we have to be truthful. Hugo lost his close family member, I am more concerned with perception that I would call my deputy leader call him and say, yeah you just lost somebody, wipe your tears, get to the House? No. Be reasonable, it's not like he's on vacation or he's playing at Roaring Creek Golf Course, he had a death in his family, that is a reality, we should be mourning for him, sending him condolences. Tracy had surgery, what do you want, you want us to roll her here into a wheelchair? Rail up with her? Be fair, be reasonable. The member from Collet came on the day but this is not about optics and perception, let's talk about the substance of the budget."
Reporter:
"You left after your budget presentation."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"You see when I come and go but you don't mention when other colleagues..."
Reporter:
"Was there other pressing matters you had to take care of?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Just as every other member comes and goes I do, why are you holding me to some higher threshold."
Courtney Menzies:
"It's more obvious on your side because of how few people."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"But you know to me it is really deplorable where you focus and proof of the illegitimacy of where you focus is in Queen Square. You guys along with the PUP bully that member, talk about her, disparage her, and she handed that young boy his rear end in his hand, thrashed him, because she is doing the work that she needs to do so while you guys are spinning PUP propaganda, the work was being done in Queen Square and continued to do."
Reporter:
"And yet she has never showed up to a House Meeting."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"So it obviously debunks your assessment of her performance because it shows up where she needs to show up and that is in Queen Square."
Courtney Menzies:
"But by that argument then, it means that nobody needs to show up here, so we don't need to have these meeting."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Well, again that is my position always that I knew that the member was working, I knew that the member was delivering so my point is that you're focusing on semantics, you're focusing on facts that don't matter to the people of Queen Square."
Later in the news, you will hear a snippet of Faber's almost two and a half hour long response to the budget.
