Bo Xilai, the insider brought down by his tendency to break rules

No one could have foreseen the manner of the Chinese politician’s toppling. If his wife had not befriended and then turned against a British businessman with links to MI6 – and if his former police chief had not sought shelter with US diplomats to accuse her of Neil Heywood’s murder – Bo may well have remained one of China’s most powerful men. The Chongqing party secretary could even have risen to the top political body in last autumn’s transition of power.