Jacqui Smith said yesterday that the government favours early intervention as a means of tackling anti-social behaviour.

Speaking as new figures showed a sharp drop in the number of Asbos issued, the home secretary pointed to other remedies, such as acceptable behaviour contracts.

Some 61 per cent of teenagers and 43 per cent of adults were found to be breaching their orders when they were issued.

And the Times points out that Smith referred to Asbos in the past tense, saying it was "powerful proof that people no longer had to suffer in silence or just put up with it".

She also encouraged police to follow the example of the pilot Operation Leopard in Essex to give troublemakers "a taste of their own medicine".

Pledging to "turn the tables" on youths who ignore warnings to change their behaviour, she said officers should harass offenders into behaving.

Former mayor Ken Livingstone has said that Labour must concentrate on "what lessons can be drawn nationally, and what to do next in London" following recent election losses.

"London, under a Labour mayoralty and a Labour government, became recognised as the most successful capital city in the world," he writes in the Guardian.

"The new London administration represents decline - economic, social, cultural, and environmental. In 2012 Labour must return at the head of a progressive administration and restore London as the number one capital city in the world."

Meanwhile the Mail reports that the government might apply new major Boris Johnson's ban on alcohol on public transport in the capital across the country.

Some hospital services will be replaced by regional centres under plans to radically reform the NHS.

Health minister Lord Darzi explained that any decision would come after discussions with patients and clinics and units will only close once new ones can replace them.

Lord Darzi told the Telegraph: "We need to be much more ambitious. We spend £110bn a year on the NHS and we have to challenge ourselves in raising the clinical bar."

However, the Guardian states that any closures would not occur until "well after the next general election".

The SNP has rejected Wendy Alexander's call for an immediate referendum on Scottish independence.

Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond attacked Alexander's credibility and said that his party would stick to its position of holding a vote in 2010.

"While I would not say Wendy Alexander is the only problem the Labour Party has, I think quite convincingly after the last few days that she is not the answer," he said.

The government has announced that homeowners facing repossession because of the credit crunch will get free legal help to avoid losing their homes.

"We know that some borrowers are concerned about their mortgages as a result of the global credit crunch," said housing minister Caroline Flint.

"Most lenders are now passing on interest rate cuts and we want to see the rest follow as soon as possible. But for the minority of owners who may need support and advice now, we want to ensure it is there for them in the right place and at the right time."

In an article for the Independent, David Cameron has described his party as the "true progressives" of British politics.

Cameron wrote: "If you care about poverty, if you care about inequality, if you care about the environment - forget about the Labour Party.

"It has forgotten about you. If you count yourself a progressive, a true progressive, only we can achieve real change."