July 24 Puzzles

Across

• 1 Is this how we choose our army commanders? (7,8)
• 5 Decreases in doctors’ work (5)
• 8 Fighter jet flies back with Michael, making eye-catching stunt (7)
• 9 Bloke in charge is crazy (5)
• 10 Conservative leader’s abandoning narrative (4)
• 11 See 1
• 14 Period preceding delivery for socialists (6)
• 15 Not applicable to employ antibiotics in the first instance for sickness (6)
• 17 Opening of international agreement is primarily mired in wishful thinking (8)
• 18 Refuse to admit degenerate extremists to New York (4)
• 20 Flourishing area in the heart of the village (5)
• 22 Level of apartment adjoining Starmer’s Den? (7)
• 24 Ultimately, they lied about output (5)
• 25 Someone in the centre of it called Amber or Rocky (7,8)

Down

• 1 Censor joke (3)
• 2 Coal workers organisation is linked to a rebel that’s out of order (9)
• 3 Track twisted teller of porky pies (4)
• 4 Leaders to look into keeping everything lovely? Yes, that’s plausible! (6)
• 5 See 25a
• 6 Have nothing when gutted (3)
• 7 Dry oceans problem is of lesser importance (9)
• 10 Archer of legend lying freely and in an effective way (9)
• 12 Examiner onboard copter’s crashed (9)
• 13 In silhouette, exposed, covering nothing up (8)
• 16 American fuel mixture is effective (6)
• 19 Cultural ambassador eats meat (4)
• 21 View of outspoken setter (3)
• 23 Naught is concealed in chenille (3)