U-turns. It should have been all about U-turns. Two U-turns in two days, was the screamingly obvious attack line for Ed Miliband.

But rather than U-turns, the leader of the opposition became rather dizzy from running round in circles.

Yesterday, Cameron put the brakes on key elements of Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms. Then this morning, plans by justice secretary to halve prison sentences for criminals were shelved.

Yet the prime minister managed to turn the blame back onto Labour's record on sentencing. "Why the sudden U-turn?" David Cameron asked Miliband.

Wait a sec… That should have been Ed's line.

The prime minister is "in a total mess on his sentencing policy", Miliband told the chamber. But that was it. He moved all too swiftly to the NHS. "Another area he is in a complete mess is his health plans."

"I'm not surprised he wants to move on because on the first policy… he was found guilty," replied Cameron.  "There is more than a whiff of jumping on the bandwagon."

Miliband retorted: "We all remember the PM touring round the country promising no more top-down reorganisation of the NHS…  I'll tell him why he made promises that he broke: because he is completely shameless and he will say anything."

Cameron turned personal: "The best that can be said about this performance is that he wasn't thinking about politics on his honeymoon."

But Miliband didn't take the bait. "However much he says he loves the NHS… the truth is that he's got the wrong values... He's been found out. We know all we need to know about this prime minister from the NHS, he's reckless. After a year, he's proved the oldest truth in politics... You can't trust the Tories with the NHS."

'You can't trust the Tories on the NHS' – it's becoming a bit of a catchphrase for Miliband. It's the fifth time he's used the phrase at PMQs since December. He should get it printed on a T-shirt, along with 'calm down, dear' and 'cutting too far, too fast'.

"Where is his plan for the NHS?" shouted Cameron. "There isn't one." The Conservative backbenches were getting fired up now. "Empty opposition and weak leadership" – that's how the prime minister dismissed Ed Miliband's turn at PMQs this week.

Labour wanted a U-shaped strike on the government. Instead, Miliband gave a circular one. We've heard it before.

Maybe it's time for a new shape to Ed Miliband's attack?

Tags: Andrew Lansley, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Ken Clarke, NHS reforms, PMQs, Sentencing