Woman's Hour

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to make further cuts to welfare benefits and government departments when she speaks in Parliament later. The government already announced big welfare spending reductions last week - but the Chancellor's been told by the Office For Budget Responsibility her reforms to the system won't save as much as planned. Now dozens of women’s organisations have written to Rachel Reeves urging her rethink plans for disability benefit cuts over fears it will remove a 'vital lifeline' for victims of abuse. Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson Director of the Women's Budget Group and Angie Airlie, Chief Executive of Stay Safe East speak to Clare McDonnell.In this week’s Women’s Prize discussion, Clare hears from two authors about the debut books they’ve had long-listed for this year’s prestigious literary prize. Sanam Mahloudji’s novel, The Persians, tells the story of the Valiat family from the perspective of five women from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s. And Labour MP Yuan Yang’s non-fiction book, Pri