Sunday Express Skeleton 3Rd December 2017

[beastra]

Hi all I have quite a few left if anybody can help:

8a A fiend therefore set back (4) O??E
9a Region a couple re-entered (4) A??A is this ASIA?
22a Stuff to study (4) CR??
24a Foreign land was under my control (4) ??A?
26a Attractive part of London on a programme
5d Bird abrading wings in a little niche left (5) E?G?E is it EAGLE?
20d Large beer a politician received (5) A???E
23d County empty thirty one days earlier (4) ??YO is it MAYO?
24 Man in front, say, never behind (4) ??OR
25d Bare elbow that's lost weight (4) ??D?

Thanks in advance

[Mamyalynne]

20 A MP le

25 Nud(g)e

[Mamyalynne]

1 A re A

[Mamyalynne]

22 Cram , double def

[Mamyalynne]

8 Ogre - Ergo, back

[Davemano]

8 Therefore is Ergo - backwards Ogre, a fiend.

[Jackdaw33]

8 Ogre
9 Area
22 Cram
24 Iran
20 Ample
23 Yes
25 Nude

[Davemano]

24a I Ran.

[Davemano]

26a AppEaling

[Davemano]

23d May(month) O(empty)

[Davemano]

Sorry Jack - just trying to parse for OP

[Davemano]

5d Eagle is correct. Abrading in nichE LEft

[Mamyalynne]

5d Parsed here

https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1582621.html

[beastra]

Thank you all you lovely and fabulously helpful people.

[Davemano]

I put the A and G in capitals but it didn't show.

[Jackdaw33]

For what my twopennorth is worth I think that 5d is a crap clue.

[Davemano]

I agree Jack. Much like 23d if you were looking a that for a starter, could be any 31day month in short.