Theresa May has unveiled plans to replace Anti-Social Behaviour Orders with measures including a ‘community trigger’ which would see local authorities act after several complaints against an individual.

In a speech in Manchester, the Home Secretary said the replacement for Asbos would be "simpler, quick, easier to enforce."

She also insisted: "Our new approach will not dump all society's problems on the police."

But Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, described the plans as a “weaker rebrand” of Asbos.

Speaking to BBC News earlier today, Ms May said: "I think the problem with Asbos was it was very complex, about 19 different orders in fact. And they were too bureaucratic - they took too long to put into place.

"What we want to do is slim the number of orders down so we'll have six, and we'll make [them] more flexible, easier, quicker, to put into place, for example some of them could be in place within hours of a problem occuring."

Theresa May has unveiled plans to replace Anti-Social Behaviour Orders with measures including a ‘community trigger’ which would see local authorities act after several complaints against an individual.

In a speech in Manchester, the Home Secretary said the replacement for Asbos would be "simpler, quick, easier to enforce."

She also insisted: "Our new approach will not dump all society's problems on the police."

But Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, described the plans as a “weaker rebrand” of Asbos.

Speaking to BBC News earlier today, Ms May said: "I think the problem with Asbos was it was very complex, about 19 different orders in fact. And they were too bureaucratic - they took too long to put into place.

"What we want to do is slim the number of orders down so we'll have six, and we'll make [them] more flexible, easier, quicker, to put into place, for example some of them could be in place within hours of a problem occuring."

The Government has appointed Peter Thornton QC to the new post of Chief Coroner.

Judge Thornton will take up his post in September 2012. He was originally appointed to the post in May 2012, but the Government then reviewed its position on the role.

The UK can decide for itself which prisoners are allowed to vote following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights today.

The court ruled that individual states did have the discretion to implement any measures, having previously told the British government to rethink its outright ban.

However, the court has only given the Government six months to work out how it wants to reform the system.

The court said it had "accepted the [UK] Government's argument" that each State has a wide discretion as to how it regulates the ban, both as regards the types of offence that should result in the loss of the vote and as to whether disenfranchisement should be ordered by a judge in an individual case or should result from general application of a law."

The Government has appointed Peter Thornton QC to the new post of Chief Coroner.

Judge Thornton will take up his post in September 2012. He was originally appointed to the post in May 2012, but the Government then reviewed its position on the role.

The UK can decide for itself which prisoners are allowed to vote following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights today.

The court ruled that individual states did have the discretion to implement any measures, having previously told the British government to rethink its outright ban.

However, the court has only given the Government six months to work out how it wants to reform the system.

The court said it had "accepted the [UK] Government's argument" that each State has a wide discretion as to how it regulates the ban, both as regards the types of offence that should result in the loss of the vote and as to whether disenfranchisement should be ordered by a judge in an individual case or should result from general application of a law."

David Cameron has rejected calls for a new inquiry into the conviction of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi after the Lockerbie bomber died in Tripoli yesterday.

The Prime Minister said the court case that convicted al-Megrahi had been properly conducted. A Number 10 spokeswoman repeated his words this morning, saying: "In his view the process has been gone through, there has been a case and in his view there is no need for an inquiry."

A statement from the campaign group Justice for Megrahi - which includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky, among others - demanded an independent review of the previous case.

Labour leader Ed Miliband backed Mr Cameron: "Unless there’s new evidence that’s come forward, we’ve had a whole trial, a long and painstaking trial which took place, it was done in a proper court of law. I think if there is new evidence, of course I’m sure the Prime Minister himself would say ‘let’s look at that’."

Baroness Warsi has convinced the Government to make the practice of forced marriage illegal in the UK. The Home Office lawyers have been instructed to create the new offence within weeks. Speaking to The Sun, Baroness Warsi said: “Forced marriage is akin to slavery and it is going on in Britain today. But it is time to draw a line in the sand and say enough. This is not acceptable.”

The Tory Chairman said it can eventuate in extreme cases where the children are drugged and taken overseas. "Lots of intimidation and violence is used" she said. However, Lady Warsi accepts that the decision will not be popular in Asian communities.

“This isn’t going to be an easy ride for me, especially as somebody deeply connected to Asian communities. I can’t see everybody in Somali, Kurdish or Iranian communities patting me on the back. But this isn’t about keeping everybody happy. It’s about doing the right thing."

The Justice Secretary has defended his plans to hold some evidence hearings in secret.

Mr Clarke told Sky News’s Murnaghan programme evidence that was currently held in courts would be held in secret, and that only evidence that could not previously be heard would be affected.

“No evidence that’s given in court at the moment is going to be given in secret under our proposals. What we’re talking about is evidence that might be given by spies about their sources, their technologies, what they know, none of which is ever given in open court in any country in the world, including in Britain.

He said the secret hearings were necessary in order to expand accountability of the security services.

He also implied the plans could save some money in payouts from civil cases: “Ordinary citizens, you and me, will be able to discover what the judge thinks of the defence. At the moment the people make allegations, the security services deny it, there’s no evidence given at all, the public taxpayer pays millions of pounds worth of damages.

Home Secretary Theresa May will launch a "three strikes and you're out" policy for anti-social offenders. Legislation published on Tuesday will force police to act if they receive three complaints from one person, or the same complaint from five different homeowners.

Gloria De Piero, shadow home office minister, claims to legislation will weaken police powers over anti-social behaviour. "People will be bemused that it will take 3 separate complaints, or 5 different households, before getting a response. All complaints should be dealt with, and quickly. People suffering from antisocial behaviour don't want to wait for the Government's proposed slow trigger.

The immigration service continues to detain child asylum seekers, a report by the Refugee Council will allege this week. The report says officials are wrongly classifying children as adults in spite of a Government pledge two years ago to end child detention.

Abu Qatada's application for bail will be heard on 28 May by a senior immigration judge, according to the Judicial Communications Office.

Currently held in a high-security prison, Mr Qatada is hoping to walk free by the end of the month.

The Home Office says it still believes he poses a real risk to national security.

His lawyers have warned the political situation in Jordan has worsened since his last appeal, which may cast fresh doubt on the UK's ability to deport him.

Abu Qatada will have his request for bail heard by the Special Immigration Appeal Commission on Monday 28 May.

Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights rejected his appeal against being deported from the UK.

Nearly 200 police officers are working full time for the Police Federation rather than carrying out duties for the police force. The 176 officers cost an estimated £5.8m. Tory MP Dominic Raab has said the public will be outraged to learn that millions are being "squandered" rather than helping to ease pressure on local force budgets. The Police Federation's vice-chairman has defended the cost, saying the union supports officers during grievance and welfare issues.

Barristers must "be ready to strike" over reforms to the legal aid system, a top lawyer will warn today. In a speech today the head of the Criminal Bar Association, Max Hill QC, will accuse politicians of "duplicity" over repeated freezes and cuts to barristers' legal aid fees.

A £1.5bn police privatisation plan was in jeopardy last night after a chief constable behind the scheme admitted feeling “a little cautious” and called a pause in the project. Chief Constable of Surrey, Lynne Owens, said in an internal message that there was a need to “calm the horses” in the face of concern about the country’s largest privatisation deal. The front-runner for the joint contract offered by Surrey and West Midlands Police is believed to be the US corporation KBR, which helped to build the Guantánamo Bay detention camps in Cuba.