Puzzles January 2025

Across

• 1 Get rid of dreadful leader and ultimately parvenu politician (4)
• 3 Beat the first backside (5)
• 8 Red planet is extremely heavy with water (6)
• 9 One hundred and fifty in the first instance elegantly taper (6)
• 10 A pitcher and a bad actor knocked back prince (8)
• 11 Heart at first convulsing rapidly umpteen times (4)
• 12 Street over a covered walkway (4)
• 14 Refusal to meet dead leader's agreement (3)
• 15 Some politicos' yesmen getting comfortable (4)
• 16 Runs over vases (4)
• 18 Panic about family's facial treatments, maybe (8)
• 20 Replacing lounge in trendy university (2,4)
• 21 Player is one wearing loose boots (6)
• 22 Revolutionary saint's casket (5)
• 23 Goddess lives outside if in Paris (4)

Down

• 1 City developed first Maori dance (5)
• 2 Mother’s motor has a cosmetic treatment (7)
• 4 President landed on a road with nothing on (7,5)
• 5 Crazy guy in charge (5)
• 6 Terrible lizards develop a sorry suntan (12)
• 7 A large booty ultimately contains books (6)
• 13 Some martyr antagonised Donald, arguably (6)
• 15 Mythical beast series largely works (7)
• 17 Metal man's gripped by rheumatism, I think (5)
• 19 Republican employs dodgy manoeuvres (5)