Alliance Party 'not connected' to bankrupt travel firm with 90 creditors

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Alliance is “not connected” to a political travel firm that has gone bust, leaving almost 90 people out of pocket, the party has said.

A spokesperson for the Alliance Party made the comment in response to an Ulster Young Unionist (UYU) call for it to “accept ownership” of its ties to the Politrip company.

On Tuesday, the BBC reported that Alliance MLA Patrick Brown acted as a paid consultant for the firm.

Mr Brown founded the Politrip company in 2017 before selling it in 2021 to a new company being set up called Volunteer USA Ltd, the BBC said.

According to the register of members’ interests at Stormont, Mr Brown said he was a paid consultant until August 2022.

Mr Brown distanced himself from the business last summer when social media users complained their trips had been cancelled shortly before they were due to depart.

In a Twitter post, he said he was "not connected to the company" and "not involved with them".

One former student told the BBC that instead of a refund he was offered an election internship with Alliance.

UYU chair Ben Sharkey said: "What's clear is that the Alliance Party has more to admit regarding the nature of their relationship to the scheme. These young people have lost out on thousands of pounds and have a blank space on their CV to show for it”.

Mr Sharkey said Alliance should “accept ownership” of its ties to the company, and added: “I can only say, as chair of the Young Unionists, that I know Northern Irish politics would benefit from better youth engagement across the spectrum, and I hope that this misfortune doesn't tarnish the drive to engage that led them to want to take up this opportunity in the first place."

One of those who spoke to the BBC, Ross Wilson from Bangor, said he paid more than £1,000 but was denied a full refund when his US trip was cancelled twice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 25-year-old said Politrip instead offered him an "internship" with the Alliance Party ahead of the 2022 NI Assembly election campaign.

An Alliance spokesperson said: “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.”