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May shows that traditional love for settling old scores
Night of the long knives under way, says Paddy McGuffin

TRADITIONALLY the first item of business of any elected prime minister following an acrimonious leadership spat is the night of the long knives and the settling of scores.

And if this week has shown us anything, apart from the fact that what passes for politics in this country appears to be irredeemably broken, it is that Theresa May is nothing if not a traditionalist.

It wasn’t long before heads began to roll and cronies, as well as some enemies, were advanced in the grand old tradition of Machiavellian diplomacy.

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