Means to reduce suffering of Labour rule paid off (8)

I believe the answer is:

epidural

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'means to reduce suffering of labour' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'rule paid off' is the wordplay.
'off' indicates anagramming the letters.
'rule'+'paid'='rulepaid'
'rulepaid' is an anagram of 'EPIDURAL'.

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(Other definitions for epidural that I've seen before include "Painkiller" , "Injection of anaesthetic into the spinal cord" , "Anaesthetic injected into the spinal cord" , "Anaesthetic used in childbirth" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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