Potential candidate on standby for St. Peter constituency

If Member of Parliament Asot Michael is criminally charged, Shermain Jeremy will replace him. The MP was arrested in the U.K. last month for questioning over an alleged bribe by a U.K. investor in exchange for contracts in the Caribbean. Michael was released without charge.
“We have approached Shermain Jeremy to be the standby candidate. She’s not challenging the present representative Asot Michael. In fact, the representative enjoys her full support. But in the event, he’s charged, then she will be the automatic choice to replace him. And she has agreed to make herself available,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne said in an interview yesterday.
Jeremy is “a most talented, exceptionally talented young lady. She is well qualified, very experienced in tourism, and she will bring a significant amount of skills and charisma to the table,” Browne explained.
MP Michael has not decided to step away from politics nor has he spoken to the public on his arrest since he returned to Antigua late last month.
While he was stripped of his ministerial portfolios, the prime minister does not have the power to make a decision about his MP post.
Meanwhile, speaking about her future in politics, Jeremy said she is ready to serve the nation if called upon.
She said, “I’m from Parham, which is in the St. Peter constituency, so the constituency is home to me.”
When asked why she accepted the invitation to “stand by” as opposed to going forward and contesting the seat Jeremy said, “I don’t see it as an issue. St. Peter currently has an MP and the party still supports the [former] minister. I totally respect that.”
Currently, Jeremy, who is a singer, is the Public Relations and Marketing Communications Manager at the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Office, New York. In 2004, at the Miss World Pageant, Jeremy was dubbed “Most Talented Woman in the World”.
The PM, meanwhile, said the decision to invite Jeremy should not be interpreted as the party’s view on whether Michael is guilty of any crime.
Browne said, “We do know that the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK indicated that they could bring charges against him, and on that basis, we must have contingency plans…we feel confident that he will be exonerated.” 
 “The labour party must always be in a state of readiness, and we must not be caught flat-footed by any unforeseen circumstances.”