48-year old Paul was part of a wave of young Scottish authors who rose to international prominence in the 1990s. After he killed himself, his publisher wrote to Chancellor George Osborne, “I thought I would let you know that Paul took his own life. He didn’t leave a note but he laid out two letters on his table. One was notifying him that his Housing Benefit had been stopped. The other was notifying him that his Incapacity Benefit had been stopped. The reason I’m writing is just so you know the human cost of attacking those on benefits.”