The PM also had warm congratulations today for his opponent across the floor.
With Barrow out of the National Assembly, the PM says is hoping that the meetings will be a lot more civil.
Of course, it's the government side that also revelled in provoking Barrow.
But, the state of play across the house floor somewhat changes when the other side is led by a woman.
We asked Briceno about Panton being sworn in as the first female LOO and what it now means for the House of Representatives meetings.
We also asked whether he'll miss his sparring buddy.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I congratulate her. She has worked hard to be where she is and she deserves it. I know that it's a big deal being the first female Leader of the Opposition but that position is not about being a male or female, it's about the competence that you bring to the table. She has a lot of hard work ahead of her trying to rebuild her party and I wish her well."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you feel like you will have to change your debate tactics so as to not come off as being misogynistic in any way because she's a woman?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I don't think she will be asking for any kind of special treatment and when she called me, one of the things she brought up and both of us agree to is that we want to improve the level of discourse and debate in the national assembly. If you look back under the past 13 years under the UDP, it was probably one of the worst times in the national assembly. I have attempted to improve and we have improved considerably, but we have more to go. The previous Leader of the Opposition, sometimes it was difficult to work with him but I believe that Honorable Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton, I'm hoping and expecting that she'll bring a different approach to the work of the National Assembly and that we can cooperate in matters of national interest while protecting the interest of our party but I do look forward to working closely with her."
Courtney Menzies:
"Will you miss Mr Barrow?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Um, what was the question? [laughs]."
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