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Thanks to djawhufc for pros and cons.
I am stuck with the superfluous word needed for 4d please.

It is four words in 8d

Thanks kobnut, missed that! Dashed off the anagram and forgot to look at the rest of the clue! All done now. Neat puzzle!

Once again I am way behind you all so can I please ask for help with 20d and 23a? 20d: thus end up exhibiting group characteristic (I have EI???) and 23a: one who supports scheme to move final article forward (I have ?I?E) I am still clouded in mystery as to the denouement, but will persevere.

23 is probably quite familiar - I think you'll have seen it before. It's a common word for a scheme/plan and one letter goes forward, becoming one who supports.

20 Thus - very short word
End - another short word, slightly longer.
Reverse them both, in that order for 'group characteristic'.

Thank you once again Malone. I get the supporter but not the group characteristic I am afraid. The first two letters I get....not the last three. More nudging needed.

end as in kill off

I think it's worth pointing out that 20d is not in Chambers.

Thank you all. Found in OED eventually.

As an irregular solver of IQ, I don't think sufficient care went into the provision of superfluous words, leading to annoying ambiguities. 11 can be parsed as it is without the need to extract any words, though one is needed for one of the thematic definitions; 13a appears to have an extra word but it seems it doesn't, making the definition inaccurate according to Chambers; in 21a I don't see the cryptic function of 'perhaps' so that also looks like an extra word, but isn't.