| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CARROT | |
| Rust found in a vehicle could be an attractive thing (6) | CAR-ROT | |
| 5 | PUTTERS | |
| Green activists, say, posted in supplementary information? (7) | UTTER inside PS | |
| 9 | CONTEMPORARIES | |
| Reformed prisoner came to like people (14) | Anagram of PRISONER CAME TO | |
| 11 | TAIPAN | |
| Asian dish, reportedly, is snake (6) | Sounds like THAI PAN | |
| 12 | MILANESE | |
| Italian male that is checking sections of road (8) | (M + IE) outside LANES | |
| 14 | MAIN | |
| Principal, one accepted by staff (4) | I inside MAN | |
| 15 | CHIEFTAINS | |
| I established payment system in chains for powerful people (10) | (I + EFT) inside CHAINS | |
| 18 | CONSPIRACY | |
| Cheat’s robbery plot (10) | CON’S + PIRACY | |
| 19 | GOLD | |
| Metal ring ultimately made long ago (4) | RIN(G) + OLD | |
| 22 | AERATION | |
| A drug helping oxygenation of the blood by respiration (8) | A + E + RATION | |
| 24 | BOW-WOW | |
| Submit to greatly impress boxer, for instance (3-3) | BOW + WOW | |
| 26 | SUICIDE BOMBERS | |
| Group retrieved in rescue bid is wrongly associated with terrorists (7,7) | MOB reversed inside anagram of RESCUE BID IS | |
| 27 | PLEDGER | |
| Promising person’s narrow projection accepted by public relations (7) | LEDGE inside PR | |
| 28 | GROUSE | |
| Land-based game bird is very good in Australia (6) | Double Definition | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 2 | ABOLITION | |
| Ending fired up one in a benefit (9) | (LIT + I) inside (A + BOON) | |
| 3 | RATTAN | |
| Snake in the grass and brown cane (6) | RAT + TAN | |
| 4 | TIME | |
| Measure load in semi-trailer making a return journey (4) | sEMI Trailer reversed | |
| 5 | PROVIDENCE | |
| Timely preparation for study should be maintained in weakness (10) | PRO + (DEN inside VICE) | |
| 6 | TEA PARTY | |
| Tape badly exposed stylish American political group (3,5) | Anagram of TAPE + ARTY | |
| 7 | ELITE | |
| “E” letter in Scrabble, flipped over, may be selected (5) | (E + TILE) reversed | |
| 8 | SYSTEMS | |
| Organisations, say, not keeping a plant’s main supports (7) | (SAY minus A) + STEMS | |
| 10 | ITEM | |
| Point 4 needing a rewrite? (4) | Anagram of TIME | |
| 13 | CHARIOTEER | |
| Old driver is a riot with good spirits about (10) | (A RIOT) inside CHEER | |
| 16 | IRONWORKS | |
| Bugs crawling around on rolled scrap metal factory (9) | IRKS outside [ON + (ROW reversed)] | |
| 17 | SPOTTING | |
| Cannabis used in police operation is leaving marks (8) | POT inside STING | |
| 18 | CHATS UP | |
| Gets friendly with bowlers, say, taking part in sporting contest (5,2) | HATS inside CUP | |
| 20 | DOWN | |
| Blue feathers (4) | Double Definition | |
| 21 | BOO-BOO | |
| Two publications missing endings? What a blunder (3-3) | BOO(k) twice | |
| 23 | RAISE | |
| Upgrade is put into mounted sensitive equipment (5) | IS inside (EAR reversed) | |
| 25 | BONG | |
| Gear carried by dweeb on grass? (4) | dweeB ON Grass |
I had a minor issue with car rot, but then I remembered that foot rot an be found on any part of a foot.