ON THE back of the astounding success of their album What Have We Become, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott are back out on tour again. 

And, as they were in May of this year, the GMB and other unions will be with them every step of the way as the pair throw themselves once more into the Britain Needs A Pay Rise campaign.

It’s one which is pretty important to both of them, Heaton says. “We both began our working lives in underpaid and undervalued jobs. 

“Like everyone else, we had to try to make a living. Music helped change our directions in life somewhat but [that experience] it is still there inside of us. Britain does need a pay rise — well, actually, just the workers do.” 

The tour has, like their earlier one this year, completely sold out as Britain once more warms to Heaton’s lyrical genius and Abbott’s soulful vocals. 

Not that Heaton can’t hold a tune of his own — their recently hugely popular Irish sojourn saw Heaton rekindle Let Love Speak Up Itself, a classic and glass-shattering ballad from the Beautiful South’s 1990 album Choke. And it has stirred two memories in particular in the British public — that these two perform brilliant songs about “our” lives and Heaton is, unashamedly, a principled socialist. Not only has he barred the Prime Minister from drinking in his Salford boozer, Heaton, Abbott and band have joined hundreds of GMB members and supporters on the doorsteps of Next stores around Britain demanding the company pays its workers a living wage.

Of course, with success comes the age-old accusation that the boy born on Merseyside and raised in Sheffield is now little more than a champagne socialist.

And yet for Christmas, while the safe thing to do would be to dance around a Christmas tree on whatever has replaced Top of the Pops these days, Heaton and Abbott have released Real Hope, a single with the Grimethorpe Colliery band accompanying what appears to be an attack on X-Factor: “Giving real hope to false people/telling the world they can sing,” as the song goes. It only went and landed them Radio 2’s single of the week.

Keeping up the single’s theme, Heaton and Abbott have added one extra date to their tour. In Manchester on Friday December 12 they will perform at HOPE for Christmas where their fans are encouraged to bring items for local food banks in Bury and Moss Side as well as raising funds for asylum education charity Article 26, the Manchester Unemployed Workers’ Centre and the Hope Not Hate campaign. Golinski Brothers and The Lottery Winners are also on the bill.

“It’s just a little something” says Heaton. “It’s just helping those that don’t lie down, those that won’t be bullied, those that help others.” 

Heaton has already promised to donate his appearance fee from his performance at Sheffield City Hall next month to the local rape crisis centre, having resigned his position at his beloved Sheffield United football club in protest at its decision to allow convicted rapist Ched Evans to train with the side.

nThe HOPE for Christmas performance on December 12, sponsored by unions Aslef, FBU, GMB and RMT and Thompsons Solicitors, is at Manchester Academy 2. Details: paulheaton.co.uk.