Cameron's U-turns

Tim Montgomerie

Benedict Brogan has been totting them up:

1. Funding/ not funding the Booktrust;
2. School sports;
3. Free milk,
4. The Lisbon treaty,
5. Repatriation of EU powers;
6. Mandatory sentences for knife crime;
7. Reversing the hunt ban,
8. Packing the ‘22 Committee.

(7) is certainly unfair. We are talking about a delay to the vote on repeal rather than a complete u-turn. I also think (4) is inaccurate. Once Lisbon was ratified I think it was reasonable for David Cameron to say that he would pursue repatriation of powers via other means. Unfortunately he hasn't delivered on that pursuit (Ben's (5)).

On the big picture I also think this government is (so far) showing remarkable solidity of purpose on the deficit. George Osborne may be relaxed about flexibility on individual spending decisions, like the Booktrust, but I see no evidence that he'll allow deviation from the overall four year programme to eradicate the deficit and, economically, that's what counts.

1.30pm For George Eaton at the New Statesman the three biggest u-turns are:

• The VAT rise;
• Child benefit cuts; and
• No cuts to frontline services.