ACROSS

1 In ruling over nation, do this (6) 4 Phlegmatic as trading’s beginning in firm (6)

8 Help going after profits that’s formally denied (8)

10 Some Londoners, chaps that pull strings or are involved in rows (6)

11 Fancy women’s objective for that man (4)

12 Unimportant false alarm I emit (10)

13 Numerical superiority compared with nine, oddly (12) 16 What’s smashing about that reorganised spectacular (12) 20 Political skill, say, with naval requirements (10)

21 Unfriendly complaint (4) 22 Good scope for adventurous opening (6)

23 Issue about elderly relative being someone in altered state (8)

24 Influenced by fashion or objective in taste (6)

25 Ancient European cutting a metal (3-3)

DOWN

1 Caught her daughter hugging a farmworker (8)

2 Have no mercy, harbouring such spitefulness (5)

3 Practical attitude is required in field of study (7)

5 Live in grip of strongman from part of Asia (7)

6 Part of ship, see, wrecked at sea (5, 4)

7 Person in charge of records put together initially (6)

9 Fiendish types are reportedly in gallery for show (11)

14 Not certain one piece of furniture turned up with another (9)

15 Prone but not flat (8)

17 Agog with Conservative splitting left (7)

18 Faithfully donating — write article about it (7)

19 View from Gibraltar, say, artist represented (6)

21 What’s loaded aboard vehicle before journey (5)