The toughening-up effort continued with David Cameron’s press conference just now. There he was, at the prime ministerial
lectern, not just announcing a stricter sentencing system than Ken Clarke broached a few weeks ago, but explaining why the government’s change of mind was actually “a sign of strength”.
Out are the 50 per cent sentence reductions for those who plead guilty early. In is a commtiment to jail those caught using a knife threateningly, as well as a bundle of tougher
measures all round. “Being strong is about being prepared to admit that you didn’t get everything right the first time around,” said Mr Cameron, again and again. His other central message
was that, when it comes to restraining the prisons budget, “the right thing to do is to reform prison and make it work better, not cut sentences.”
The question that arises now is, as always, one of cost.
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