Morning briefing Monday 21st September

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0:35This is Times Radio's morning briefing on Monday the 21st of September. More than half of Labour MPs face a potential voter backlash over plans to reform disability benefits. That's according to analysis by the Times. The data reveals that 58 % of Labour seats have more constituents claiming personal independence payments than the MP's electoral majority. Ministers are warning of possible backbench rebellions as the government attempts to curb the rising national welfare bill through cuts. One of the prime minister's top team says past criticism of Donald Trump doesn't necessarily mean the pair can't get on.

1:14They're expected to come face-to-face at the UN General Assembly in New York this week. Andy Burnham has previously said any politician who gave Mr. Trump the time of day should be ashamed. Gina Abukombi-Winstanley is a former US ambassador and told us that Donald Trump is someone that could brush off any previous criticism. I would not be surprised if the president doesn't mention it because he does have a sense of humor about that sort of thing, as long as he feels himself in the position of power, which he will do in this meeting, I believe, even though he's looking for things from the UK specifically, from Europe in general, from the coalition that the UK is very much a part of, along with France, Canada and others, he will feel quite comfortable going into this meeting.

2:03Labour Party Chair Bridget Philipson says Sir Jim Radcliffe has lost the moral high ground to criticise the UK economy because he lives as a tax exile in Monaco. Michael Jacobs is a Professor of Political Economy at the University of Sheffield and is a former advisor to Gordon Brown and had this to say. Well, he's wrong. If you go to other European countries that also have good public services and good welfare states that look after people, they have higher tax rates as a proportion of national income than we do. Our tax take is about 37 % of our national income. If you go to countries from France through to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, the tax take as a share of national income is higher than that and the rich pay proportionately more.

2:50So he's simply wrong about that. Her comments came after the billionaire businessman warned Britain is on the slide and called Labour's ban on new North Sea oil and gas licenses insanity. Russia has held its first parliamentary election since invading Ukraine, with state exit polls projecting a landslide victory for the ruling United Russia Party. The vote was marred by what Moscow officials described as Ukraine's largest drone attack yet, hitting an oil refinery and killing two people in the capital region. Keir Giles is an associate fellow at Chatham House and told us that Ukraine is simply sending a message.

3:25To show to ordinary Russians that they are in a war that has consequences for them at home as well. It's not just something that happens to Ukrainians somewhere else. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

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