Patrick Brown (Northern Irish politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patrick Brown
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Down
In office 7 May 2022 – 23 April 2024
Preceded by	Sinéad Bradley
Succeeded by	Andrew McMurray
Member of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
In office 22 May 2014 – 7 May 2022
Preceded by	Council established
Succeeded by	David Lee-Surginor
Constituency	Rowallane
Personal details
Nationality	Northern Irish
Political party	Alliance
Occupation	Politician

Patrick Brown is a former Northern Irish politician. He was a member of the Alliance Party. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). He was elected as an MLA for South Down in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election. Before that, he was a local councillor for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council starting in 2014.

He left his role in April 2024 after 10 years as an elected official. He took a new job leading a non-profit organisation. This group works to support the idea of a Universal basic income.

Early Life and Education

Patrick Brown grew up in Crossgar and Downpatrick. He went to integrated schools, including Shimna Integrated College. He then studied at the University of Sheffield. There, he earned degrees in political science and international development.

After university, Patrick started several small businesses. One was a charity that helped with water and sanitation in East Africa. Another business supported social enterprises. These are businesses that aim to do good for society.

In 2017, he created a travel business called Politrip. This business helped young people volunteer on election campaigns in the United States. He sold the company in 2021.

Patrick also earned his Ph.D. from Queen's University Belfast. He received his doctorate in May 2022, shortly after being elected as an MLA. His research focused on Universal basic income and how it can help resolve conflicts.

Political Journey

While studying at university, Patrick worked for two weeks in the office of Naomi Long. She is a well-known politician in Westminster.

In 2014, Patrick Brown was elected as a Councillor. He was one of the youngest people to become a Councillor in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. He was re-elected five years later in the 2019 local elections. He received the most votes in the Rowallane area.

As a Councillor, Patrick often spoke up about how the local council made decisions. He wanted more openness about how money was spent. He challenged plans for new council offices in Newry and a "gondola" in Newcastle.

He also led campaigns on important social and environmental issues. He helped the council support same-sex marriage. He also worked to stop council pension funds from investing in fossil fuels.

Patrick first tried to become an MLA in the 2016 Assembly election. He achieved the Alliance Party's best result in South Down at that time. In the 2017 Assembly election, he nearly doubled his votes. He almost won a seat.

In the 2019 UK Parliamentary election, he again achieved the Alliance Party's highest vote in South Down.

In the 2022 Assembly election, Patrick Brown was successfully elected. He was the third candidate chosen in South Down. This was a big achievement because he became the first Alliance MLA for South Down. This area is mostly known for supporting other political parties.

As an MLA, Patrick was a spokesperson for the Alliance Party. He spoke on topics like Animal Welfare, fighting poverty, and Infrastructure. He was also part of the Infrastructure and Windsor Framework Committees. He started an All-party Group at Stormont to discuss Universal Basic Income. This was the first group of its kind in the UK.

Patrick Brown resigned as an MLA on April 23, 2024. He stated he left for personal reasons. He later explained that he had accepted a job offer to lead a non-profit organisation called Equal Right. This group works to promote universal basic income. He also shared that he had been finding his role as an MLA challenging. He had recently been diagnosed with ADHD.

It was later known that a complaint had been made against Patrick Brown in 2023. This complaint was about his actions towards Shimna Integrated College. Patrick had made his own complaint against the school in 2022. He did this on behalf of people in his area who had concerns about the school. These concerns included issues with how the school was run and instances of bullying.

The school's complaint against him was partly upheld. A committee found that Patrick should not have mentioned his own past application to the school's board when raising concerns for others. However, the committee also found that people in his area had indeed raised these concerns with him. Patrick strongly disagreed that the complaint led to his resignation. He insisted he had done nothing wrong and was simply representing the concerns of his constituents.

Election Results

Images for kids

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  Patrick Brown, a former MLA for South Down.