Expenses row: Tory Commons Leader Alan Duncan Faces Loan Probe

Shadow Commons Leader Alan Duncan is facing a probe - after allegedly taking out a taxpayer-funded mortgage on a home he owned outright.

He bought a country house in his Rutland seat without taking out a home loan.

The multi-millionaire, supposedly heading Tory clean-up efforts, designated it his "second home" for Commons expenses.

But he didn't take out his £271,000 mortgage on the property until 2004 - since when he has claimed more than £63,000 for interest.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne is already under inquiry over the same issue.

Now, Labour MP John Mann has asked Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon to look into Duncan's case.

A spokeswoman for Mr Duncan, who, like Mr Osborne, insists he has done nothing wrong, said the mortgage was always for his constituency home even though it was originally taken out on his London property.

Genocide Suspects Could Face Trial

Suspects in the Rwandan and Yugoslavian genocides could be tried in British courts under proposals unveiled by Justice Secretary Jack Straw after warnings Britain could become a "safe haven" for war criminals.

Mr Straw said he had decided to "strengthen" domestic law by making British residents suspected of war crimes since 1991 liable to stand trial, adding 10 years to the current limit.

The decision follows warnings from the Parliamentary Group for Genocide Prevention about legal loopholes which would let suspects avoid trial.

In a statement to MPs, Mr Straw said the all-party group had made a "powerful case" for the inclusion of genocide as an extra territorial offence.

He said: "Serious crimes of this nature are best dealt with in the country where the crimes took place.

"That is where the evidence will be most easily accessible and where witnesses will be easier to contact."

"It is also the best solution because witnesses and survivors can see justice being done.

"Failing that, these crimes should be dealt with by international courts or tribunals where they exist."