| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CACTUS | |
| Members of unsympathetic ACTU subdivision desert plant (6) | unsympathetiC ACTU Subdivision | |
| 5 | RACISTS | |
| Cold is contracted by strike-breakers and prejudiced people (7) | (C + IS) inside RATS | |
| 9 | DISCOUNTENANCE | |
| Cold treatment continues awkwardly in social event (14) | Anagram of CONTINUES inside DANCE | |
| 11 | RANKLE | |
| Irritate joint after start of run (6) | ANKLE after R | |
| 12 | DEPONENT | |
| Testifier opened, oddly, not without heart (8) | Anagram of OPENED + N(o)T | |
| 14 | DOER | |
| Editor, losing it, upset mover and shaker (4) | Anagram of EDITOR minus IT | |
| 15 | MANCHESTER | |
| Different merchants handling English household linen (10) | Anagram of MERCHANTS outside E | |
| 18 | PATRONISER | |
| Condescending person gently hit upstanding individual carrying on (10) | PAT + (RISER outside ON) | |
| 19 | MIND | |
| Listen to extracted material in audience (4) | Sounds like MINED | |
| 22 | LITTORAL | |
| Large trail to redeveloped strip of coastal land (8) | L + anagram of TRAIL TO | |
| 24 | SQUEAK | |
| Converted Quakers with no right to whine (6) | Anagram of QUAKERS minus R | |
| 26 | GALVANISED IRON | |
| Vehicle is covered by a lodger in moulded tin (10,4) | (VAN + IS) inside anagram of A LODGER IN | |
| 27 | COPILOT | |
| AI agent and officer linked to one group (7) | COP + I + LOT | |
| 28 | RATIFY | |
| Sign please, with no initial (6) | (g)RATIFY | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 2 | ALIGNMENT | |
| Latin men arranged holding grand evening (9) | Anagram of LATIN MEN outside G | |
| 3 | TACKLE | |
| Deal with creek detailed in report (6) | CK inside TALE | |
| 4 | SHUT | |
| Front of secure shelter is closed (4) | (S)ecure + HUT | |
| 5 | RETRENCHED | |
| Traffic stopper, outside new centre (hospital), should be dismissed (10) | RED outside (anagram of CENTRE + H) | |
| 6 | CONDONED | |
| Prisoner, finished with fraud finally, is forgiven (8) | CON + DONE + frau(D) | |
| 7 | SINGE | |
| Slightly burn grass with butt of cigarette? (5) | SING + cigarett(E) | |
| 8 | SHELTER | |
| Female left territory’s asylum (7) | SHE + L + TER | |
| 10 | ARID | |
| Dry and bitter but not cold (4) | ACRID minus C | |
| 13 | CAPITALIST | |
| Tycoon set a limit on a schedule at the end of it (10) | CAP + [(A + LIST) after IT] | |
| 16 | TAILED OFF | |
| Man of means, internally troubled, gradually declined (6,3) | AILED inside TOFF | |
| 17 | MONORAIL | |
| Blast following re-building of moon transporter (8) | RAIL after anagram of MOON | |
| 18 | PELAGIC | |
| Oceanic wind picked up in picture (7) | GALE reversed inside PIC | |
| 20 | DUKE | |
| Nobleman is outstanding around king (4) | DUE outside K | |
| 21 | SQUIRT | |
| Short person, a woman’s escort, not finishing on time (6) | SQUIR(e) + T | |
| 23 | TULIP | |
| Bulbous flower one left in place upside-down (5) | [(I +L) inside PUT] reversed | |
| 25 | FEAR | |
| Contents of safe – a real concern (4) | saFE A Real |
