IT is an unusual state of affairs to have a Conservative prime minister backtracking amid accusations from Labour that his Government has gone soft on crime.

But David Cameron yesterday found himself having to drop the proposal to cut prison sentences by 50 per cent for offenders who pleaded guilty at the earliest stage.

We continue to believe that plea bargaining has its place in the criminal justice system, but Mr Cameron was forced to concede that a 50 per cent cut in sentencing would have been “too lenient”.

Amid claims of another U-turn, the Prime Minister argued that listening to public concerns and making changes to proposals could be a “sign of strength”.

We agree with him. Listening to people and taking on board what they say is part of democracy.

The difficulty comes when the frequency of the U-turns starts to undermine credibility.

We have a Government which passionately believes in the need to be radical in its attempts to balance Britain’s books.

But, in its desperation to find headline- grabbing ways to save money, it is creating a perception that its proposals have not been properly thought through.

Too many changes in direction – the planned sell-off of forests, NHS reforms and now 50 per cent sentencing cuts being notable examples – suggest a lack of planning at the heart of Government.

And that is a significant weakness.