Paul Heaton offered profits from his songs to the government – but they said no

The bizarre revelation came when Paul was a guest on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, however despite offering revenue from his entire back catalogue and any future singles, business secretary Greg Clark turned the offer down.
Heaton, who was previously in 80s band The Housemartins and 90s outfit Beautiful South, was on The Wright Stuff to promote his new album, Crooked Calypso.
Speaking on the show, Heaton said: ‘I offered my songs up for nationalisation. This would mean songs like Happy Hour, Rotterdam, Perfect 10 and the rest.

‘Every time they get played on the radio, the state would take the money and put it back into improving our living standards.’
The offer would have helped secure a comfortable future for the residents of Heaton’s stomping ground, Hull, had it been accepted.

Paul Heaton called it ‘blatantly imprudent’ to refuse his offer (Picture: Getty Images)

The singer explained further that he felt he’d ‘made enough money’ from the songs, and was offering the proposal as ‘a gift to the British public’.
It’s not clear why the business secretary turned down the offer, however Heaton was quick to comment that nationalisation isn’t a Conversative policy which may have influenced their decision.