We welcome the Financial Times’ inaugural ‘news cryptic’ in our pick of the broadsheets’ clues – plus Paul teams up with a celebrity for charity
In the sample clues below, the links take you to explainers from our beginners’ series. The setter’s name often links to an interview with him or her, in case you feel like getting to know these people better.
16a Film of metallic element covering huge vessel (7)
9aA hundred to clue 4 (4,5)
I wanted to avoid making the puzzle UK-politics top-heavy but with the Sunak seatbelt SNAFU and the Zahawi tax story it was too tempting.
14a Bastard rats on old sod in government PR tactic (12)
[wordplay: anagram of (‘bastard’) RATS + abbrev. for ‘old’ + synonym for ‘sod’ + IN (‘in’) + abbrev. for ‘government’]
[ASTR + O + TURF + IN + G]
[definition: PR tactic]
13a Subatomic particle that’s surprising PhD by never spinning (6)
[wordplay: synonym for ‘that’s surprising’ + abbrev. for ‘doctor’ (‘PhD’) + synonym for ‘never’, NO, backwards (‘spinning’)]
[HA + DR + ON]
[definition: subatomic particle]
