Clues

8-across – Second-rate 5s, they’re annoying after the bubble bursts : BLISTERS

9-across – Entire opening from chess champion’s letter? : TOTAL

10-across – ‘Finally About Us’ from The Rolling Stones : GEMS

11-across – Putting up with the French in time, otherwise giant outburst : TOLERATING

12-across – One dropping off fish? : KIPPER

14-across – Tool to gently boil Thai rice, primarily to be eaten : STRIMMER

16-across – Robot with head of rubber, heart of foil and rear of lead : ANDROID

18-across – Ancient follower of cricket match isn’t excited : ODINIST

21-across – One running small peripheral device : SPRINTER

23-across – Drunk, refuse third of vodka : WASTED

24-across – Gain pardon playing instrument : GRANDPIANO

26-across – Over £501 billion in account? : BILL

27-across – Grumpy, say, from battle between Germany and France : DWARF

28-across – Hit record swapped on hard disk image : HOLOGRAM

1-down – African uplifting song penned by fallen angel : ALGERIAN

2-down – Requests bottles to be emptied of fluid : ASKS

3-down – Improved gambler : BETTER

4-down – Futile advice to junkie? : USELESS

5-down – Celebrity drummer not quite all there : STAR

6-down – Reports about Facebook owner installed into medical devices : STATEMENTS

7-down – Knight wanting great deal chasing good look : GLANCE

13-down – Can’t praise naughty pet : PERSIANCAT

15-down – Communist in orderly retreat : RED

17-down – Old Scot blows top with new technology : ICT

19-down – Does Dahl work make a pile? : SHEDLOAD

20-down – Inspire soldiers to wash outside : BREATHE

22-down – Even? Odd? Not even close to equality? That’s a travesty : PARODY

23-down – TV doctor’s friend giving up acting entirely : WHOLLY

25-down – Promotion from flier – 1/3 off! : PUFF

26-down – Bunny heading to gaol in vehicle : BUGS

1-across – Musk’s opening political unit after reforms using X : MULTIPLICATION

8-across – Barney going too far east then south westwards : SETTO

9-across – In church, churchman gets dope and crack : CREVASSE

11-across – Make wraps set out like dim sum, say : EASTERN

12-across – Following band, I note something fishy : SASHIMI

13-across – Late in the day, some scoff half-heartedly – it’s wicked : SUPER

15-across – What appreciative shareholders may do, covering for US builders : CLAPBOARD

17-across – Soldier could get one in case of invader playing ball : IRONCROSS

20-across – What might be scary, except for hospital nurse : TREAT

21-across – A number in service work around a trainee : CHORALE

23-across – Researcher’s job with Conservative Party bores : POSTDOC

25-across – Charter boat picked up for senior person : HIERARCH

26-across – Inspiration for linesman round pitch with energy ebbing : ERATO

27-across – 100 bespectacled guards put on uniform for training : EVENINGCLASSES

1-down – Daisy has flipping S&M clothing, with urge to show current control : MASTERSWITCH

2-down – Cause of forgetfulness for classicists, many bagging woeful grade : LOTUS

3-down – Picaroon and a little kid almost the same size : ISOMETRIC

4-down – Brief left in charge defends a criminal : LACONIC

5-down – Kind of bun that’s different dunked in tea : CHELSEA

6-down – More than one drop in high rates : TEARS

7-down – Perverse student no longer, say, keeping cool : OBSTINATE

10-down – They expose the deceitful Tories etc., led astray : LIEDETECTORS

14-down – Musician and academic penning big hit that is no. 1 in Vienna : PROKOFIEV

16-down – King’s wife to wash Bella’s coat, and zip it up inside : BATHSHEBA

18-down – Cleric you heard – in baking place – go on too long : OVERRUN

19-down – Lesbian’s drain still blocked by illegal substance : SAPPHIC

22-down – What cook may use for cutting article : APRON

24-down – Depicts small issue Guardian minds getting raised : DRAWS

1-across – Ely desperately after pen to house college transport : BICYCLE

5-across – Scotsman broken by onset of injury and hard suffering : ANGUISH

9-across – Musical piece produced by new department’s head in jumper : RONDO

10-across – Burn wayward lazy daughter? Wild! : UNBRIDLED

11-across – Sanctimonious little girl in car plant : ASPIDISTRA

12-across – See 24 Down : INON

14-across – Winner shouts out ‘There’s no merit in it!’ : UNWORTHINESS

18-across – Admonition, it seems, about breaking into song : CHASTISEMENT

21-across – Mechanical routine giving balls energy : ROTE

22-across – Maybe London’s joint originator of written work : AUTHORSHIP

25-across – Dash, it’s rough being an ambitious type! : CAREERIST

26-across – Mark 2? : TWAIN

27-across – Backing positive, steadfast youth leaders to undertake major journey : ODYSSEY

28-across – Level of society needing pluck to restrain a totalitarian leader : STRATUM

1-down – Lawyers’ bill for drink : BARSAC

2-down – Tester of prison work finally happy : CANOPY

3-down – Decoration designed for X? : COORDINATE

4-down – Cast use Queen Ursula’s debut play : EQUUS

5-down – True! Rambo’s swimming trunks to be seen here : ARBORETUM

6-down – One’s fitted in gun carriage : GAIT

7-down – Denials about cigar butt being Cuban? : ISLANDER

8-down – No puritan, involving fellow in theft : HEDONIST

13-down – One who works over the shop? : SIGNWRITER

15-down – Book set in US city or miserable, dark state : OBSCURITY

16-down – Singular Côte d’Ivoire architectural style – O! is lost; quite a blow : SCIROCCO

17-down – Drink associated with railway in recent times : LATTERLY

19-down – See 24 : THEACT

20-down – Brummie’s refusal to do a turn as the title character : EPONYM

23-down – Basic construction by American-Africans : HUTUS

24-down – Joins the performance of Tosca : GETS

1-across – Pope likes teasing liberals with special ability to work with others : PEOPLESKILLS

9-across – Stream runs through reserve : BROOK

10-across – Was troubled to catch Catholic taken in by belief that’s above criticism : SACREDCOW

11-across – Not as old as singer-songwriter getting on in retirement : YOUNGER

12-across – Number 10 blocking artificial intelligence, yet developing tension : ANXIETY

13-across – Will the writer in EU lie about Germany coming first to power? : DIESELFUEL

15-across – Pin-up or pin down? : STUD

18-across – Heads of ambitious private schools excel in recess : APSE

19-across – Ant shelter converted into hives : NETTLERASH

22-across – Small drinks mask holy man’s burdens : SADDLES

24-across – Very angry extremists wearing jewellery : BLAZING

25-across – With lace, nothing holds a fastener : SPIKENAIL

26-across – Quicksilver mostly lies all over the place? : AGILE

27-across – Mark’s intense struggle with scientist playing God : FRANKENSTEIN

1-down – They make doctor drop fake cures : PRODUCERS

2-down – Moth in tree, for example, travelling both ways, right? : OAKEGGER

3-down – It makes light from sun tangible, reflected around : LASER

4-down – Working man reacts to ceremony : SACRAMENT

5-down – Climber’s companion putting cold water on fire : ICEAXE

6-down – Temptation to snort cocaine for money : LUCRE

7-down – Followed order to surrender, preserving the odds : OBEYED

8-down – Rocked in leather, say : SWAYED

14-down – Heading to Fiji concerning foreign escape where there’s no waves : FREESPACE

16-down – Deportation when former partner ignored custom : TRADITION

17-down – Group saving soldier on top of Everest alone : SEPARATE

18-down – Help musician forget Beethoven’s Overture : ASSIST

20-down – Casual greeting delivered louder : HIGHER

21-down – Inform one entertained by drunk uncle : CLUEIN

23-down – Club expelling 5 being extra boring : DRIER

24-down – Everything in books gives courage : BALLS

7-across – HS2, missing both ends, has party members instigating plots : STORIES

8-across – Company will sound decisive : CRUCIAL

9-across – Transport protest : RAIL

10-across – Largely in order? Enlarge : INGENERAL

12-across – Transport to go too fast, not quietly: take time instead : STEED

13-across – Shockingly, bold ULEZ militants say they’ll do this to enforcement cameras : BULLDOZE

15-across – Broken transport systems’ core : BUST

16-across – Surface of cycle path … : OUTER

17-across – … where vehicle hits edge of pothole: complain! : CARP

18-across – Boatman abandons rail service: outside, small change, with no parking for transport : ENTRANCE

20-across – Intelligent to go back to public transport : TRAMS

21-across – Writer not exactly sincere about very right-wing origin : SCRIVENER

22-across – Return transport : TAKE

24-across – Transport charge much involved in type of road rage : AIRFARE

25-across – Conflict, including about transport of supplies : FREIGHT

1-down – Burning neat alcohol powers this stove : ETNA

2-down – Peer brought up in case: most amusing : DROLLEST

3-down – Charged to have dissembled about zero-emissions transport : LEVIED

4-down – Cowboy in west moved fast, not complacent in one transporting goods free of duty : WRANGLER

5-down – Achieved goal of speed limits around centre : SCORED

6-down – Reported transport passage : HALL

11-down – One relays messages by mouth, initially enjoying trust while effecting eventual nemesis : GOBETWEEN

12-down – Reject northern support for branch line? : SPURN

14-down – These are the lowest limits of zone covering roads banning a diesel’s lead : ZEROS

16-down – Two eggs, one taken by terrible vermin – it eats everything : OMNIVORE

17-down – Company : COATTAIL

19-down – A ferry scuttled to become lighter : RAREFY

20-down – One must approach a bull in lust or eroticism : TORERO

21-down – Boatman’s transport’s popular : SHIP

23-down – Finally, gridlock to diminish: will changes in complexion come from this? : KOHL