David Cameron attempted to rehabilitate his image on Monday morning with a tough sounding speech on law and order, following last week's shambles over energy policy and the resignation of his chief whip.
The prime minister announced a "rehabilitation revolution" under which virtually all prisoners will receive help turning their lives around and breaking the cycle of reoffending.
But Cameron also directly repudiated the "hug a hoodie" phrase that become an early defining motif of his leadership, hence the Mail on Sunday's right-wing friendly "mug a hoodie" headline.
Serious crimes must be met with long prison sentences, Cameron said adding: "Retribution is not a dirty word. It is important to society that revulsion against crime is properly recognised."
Prison reform campaigners have raised concerns that the speech is simply an attempt to move the headlines on from the government's internal political problems.
Writing on The Huffington Post UK today, Andrew Neilson, the director of of the Howard League for penal reform, said while the speech in its entirety was reasonable, there was a danger the full message would be lost.
"When governments have bad weeks there are various groups that should brace themselves for trouble: ministers obviously, special advisers almost certainly, civil servants more than likely," he said.
"But perhaps we should add to that a more unlikely section of society: those serving sentences at Her Majesty's pleasure.
He added: Prisoners, never the most popular group in society, would appear to be ideal whipping boys for governments on the run."
Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, the director of the Criminal Justice Alliance pressure group, also warned that in trying to sound tough the need to focus on the causes of crime would be lost.
“This speech was an opportunity to regain the momentum promised at the start of the coalition government to drive forward a genuine rehabilitation revolution to cut crime, prioritise prevention and reduce the damaging levels of reoffending," she said.
"The danger is the intelligent bit gets lost at the expense of sounding tough."
David Cameron is also due to appear before MPs on Monday afternoon, where he is likely to also try and bury ongoing mutterings about the resignation of Andrew Mitchell by seeking out 'tough on Europe' headlines.
The Financial Times reported this morning that German chancellor Angela Merkel is prepared to cancel an upcoming Brussels summit if the prime minister sticks to his plan to veto any increase in the EU's budget.
"We do not see the need for an increase in spending above the rate of inflation," the prime minister's spokesman said on Monday morning.
On Sunday, education secretary Michael Gove told BBC Radio 5 Live that he thought the chief whip should not have had to resign. However home secretary Theresa May has refused to deny suggestions she called for him to resign.
Aware that the perception it is made up of out of touch "posh boys" may be irreversible, the Conservative Party also launched a new "blue collar" Tory group today, designed to show voters that the part "shares the values of ordinary working voters and understand their aspirations".