Complete u-turns are unusual in modern politics and are seen as a humiliating climbdown for the hapless minister in charge of a contentious or unworkable policy.
In some ways this is a bit unfair because if something is deeply unpopular or highly controversial it is often for a good reason. And it is a brave politician indeed who decides to stick to an unwise course even when the tide is moving in the wrong direction.
Chancellor George Osborne clearly read the public mood on cutting tax credits and decided this was not the time to make a lone stand.
Mr Osborne is no fool and is already eyeing the succession to David Cameron, who has declared he will not serve another term as prime minister.
When he announced a cut to tax credits, the chancellor created a perfect storm, not only causing outrage among working families, many of them traditional Tory voters but also angering his own backbenchers who had to bear the brunt of public fury.
After the move was blocked in the House of Lords there was an expectation he would come up with a modified plan.
In fact, he decided to scrap the move altogether which came as a surprise but also a huge relief to the families affected, including 120,000 households in Northern Ireland.
If the cut had gone ahead, these low income families would have lost an average of £918 a year so Mr Osborne's announcement yesterday will be welcome news.
However, it remains to be seen how this change will impact on the Fresh Start agreement which included money for those who would have lost out on tax credits.
Stormont finance minister Arlene Foster has also warned that overall the chancellor's spending review is not particularly good for Northern Ireland, representing a 5.3 per cent real terms reduction in the budget for day to day services.
While there was a positive development yesterday on tax credits, the squeeze on the public purse looks set to continue.
