Alliance Party under mounting pressure over alleged ties to political travel firm that left students out of pocket

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/alliance-party-under-mounting-pressure-over-alleged-ties-to-political-travel-firm-that-left-students-out-of-pocket/a590197452.html

> [Alliance MLA Patrick Brown](https://focus.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/thumbor/OH6FGjq6DUffCCuNfTzeXGyDH8Q=/11×0:3236×2150/960×640/prod-mh-ireland/fef8e9b1-3b71-46f9-97be-ddeef65df2e3/7a2287cc-1989-4b3c-bbaa-9b5388ea7af8/3ee32.jpg)

> SDLP MLA Colin McGrath has said that students are the real victims after a “political travel firm” which cancelled internship opportunities for scores of young people went bust leaving students out of pocket.
Mr McGrath is set to refer the case to the Electoral Commission after it was alleged that at least one participant was offered the opportunity of an “election internship” with the Alliance Party in lieu of a coveted US internship.

> Students owed thousands of pounds by a bust political travel business founded by Alliance MLA Patrick Brown will not get their money back.

> Volunteer USA Ltd – trading as Politrip – was a company that allowed young people to volunteer on election campaigns in the US.

> It went into liquidation in 2022 with debts of more than £64,000.

> The BBC has reported that liquidators confirmed there is “no prospect of recovery” despite almost 90 customers being owed money when their trips were cancelled.

> Young people have told the BBC they lost up to £1,000 after trips were cancelled on short notice.

> The business was advised by Alliance MLA Patrick Brown, who was a consultant for the firm.

> The South Down MLA founded the Politrip company in 2017 before selling the brand in 2021 to a new company set up by Politrip’s then general manager to continue its operations – Volunteer USA Ltd.

> However, Mr Brown was then employed as a paid consultant on a rate of £800 a month in Volunteer USA Ltd.

> Colin McGrath MLA said: “It’s disgusting, frankly, that so many young people were promised, and paid for, coveted political internships in the USA that have never materialised.

> “These students forked out, and in some cases placed themselves in financial jeopardy, in the clear expectation that they would receive a unique experience that would enhance their employment prospects and help them to build important professional networks. They are the real victims here.

> “It is deeply concerning, however, that in lieu of a prestigious internship in the US, some participants were reportedly offered an election internship with the Alliance Party.

> “It would be extraordinary if young people from Bangor, for example, were seriously expected to pay a substantial sum of money to help the Alliance Party campaign in Belfast.”

> Mr McGrath added: “This raises serious ethical questions for the leadership of the Alliance party, particularly given the involvement of Alliance MLA Patrick Brown as a paid consultant for the company and his previous role as the party’s Development Officer.

> “Who made the offer to substitute US internships with Alliance Party election activity? How much were young students asked to pay for this?

> “Was advice sought from the Electoral Commission on the rules that apply to advocacy during an election? Did anyone take the opportunity up?

> “The SDLP will be referring these matters to the Electoral Commission but it would be extraordinary and immoral, in our view, if no effort was made to provide financial assistance to the real victims here – the young people who have been left severely out of pocket.”

> Meanwhile, the Ulster Young Unionist Chair, Ben Sharkey, has expressed his sympathies to those losing thousands of pounds following the financial collapse of the travel firm Politrip, and has called on the Alliance Party to accept ownership of their own ties to the organisation.

> Mr Sharkey said: “These young people have lost out on thousands of pounds and have a blank space on their CV to show for it.

> “The alleged solution offered by the Alliance Party to make up for that was an ‘internship’ to help them canvass in the 2022 Assembly campaign?”

> He added: “As I see it, there are only three options for the truth here; either Alliance has lied about their offering internships after the collapse of Politrip, they are accusing the victims of this company going bust of lying to the media, or, the young people were mislead about the legitimacy of an internship and the Alliance party had no knowledge of it.

> “Unless there is a fourth scenario I am not seeing, the Alliance Party need to make it clear where the truth lies.”

> A spokesperson for the Alliance Party stated: “We have sympathy with anyone who lost money relating to this scheme but Alliance is not connected to Volunteer USA and all enquiries should be directed to that organisation.”

> **Garrett Hargan**

by Diomas