There's no doubt Ken Clarke dug a rather large hole for himself today by appearing to suggest some rapes are less serious than others.

Every rape is a serious crime, of course, and it's daft to imply otherwise.

It's the same trap journalists sometimes fall into. Too often, they refer to "a brutal rape" - as if some rapes might not be brutal.

Mr Clarke, in the Cabinet role of Justice Secretary, has spent the day trying to scramble out of the hole by stressing that he believes all rapes are serious while drawing short of an apology on the grounds that his words were misinterpreted.

I do not doubt Mr Clarke's sincerity in putting the record straight. He was guilty of an unfortunate choice of words and has made strenuous efforts to clarify his position.

The bigger problem for Mr Clarke is the context in which he began digging his hole. His remarks came during a radio interview about plans to halve jail terms for people who plead guilty early, including rapists.

Plea bargaining is an established part of the criminal justice system and, in my view, there is merit in rewarding a defendant's early guilty plea. It avoids putting victims through the ordeal of a trial and it saves the taxpayer money.

A 50 per cent reduction in a sentence is going too far but I can understand the logic in making some concession.

The issue for Mr Clarke is that this is another proposal which adds to the perception that he is soft on crime.

A Tory Justice Secretary who wants to keep people out of prison doesn't sit well with the right-wing press and that, along with his pro-Europe stance, has made him a target.

They are out to get him and they will jump on any slip-up, like he made today.

Ken Clarke, along with Vince Cable, Andrew Lansley, Caroline Spelman and Chris Huhne, must be looking forward to the next Cabinet reshuffle as much as turkeys look forward to Christmas.