Across:
8 Country (MEXICO) doctor (medical officer = M-O) covers for former partner (-EX-) in charge (-IC-) (MEXICO),
9 All the characters (ALPHABET) offering top dog (ALPHA-) to back (-BET) (ALPHABET),
10 Take on (HIRE) hospital (H-) irritation (-IRE) (HIRE),
11 Sniffy cautious type perhaps (SMOKE ALARM) picks up the burnt toast (SMOKE ALARM),
12 Heartless (heartless/remove centre = i) thief (‘thief’ without ‘i’ = THE F-) turns over (= reversal indicator) university (University of Limerick = UL = -LU) (THE FLU) and there’s no cure for it (THE FLU),
14 Examine (TEST) public transport overseas (TUBE) (TEST TUBE) from the laboratory (TEST TUBE),
15 What the statistician has, for instance (A HEAD FOR FIGURES), leading the pack (ahead = A HEAD) on the side of (FOR) the Number 10s (FIGURES) (A HEAD FOR FIGURES),
18 Fine wool (CASHMERE) from state (= homophone indicator) on Indian and Chinese border (“Kashmir” = “CASHMERE”),
20 Angelic figure (CHERUB) from revolutionary (CHE-) Russia (-RU-) and Britain (-B) (CHERUB),
22 A cut-throat type (RAZOR BLADE) of young man (-LAD-) in Belgium (B-E) follows (positional indicator) one of those getting rid of walrus? (RAZOR gets rid of walrus moustache) (RAZOR BLADE),
24 Irishman (GAEL) in Bundesliga eleven (in ‘Bundesliga eleven’ = GAEL),
25 Church (CH-) woman (-ANNE-) left (-L-) school (-S) (CHANNELS) for The Stations (CHANNELS),
26 Crazy (= anagram indicator) hour (hour = -HROU-) in South Dakota? (S-D) (SHROUD) Over my dead body! (SHROUD).
Down:
1 Síle (sile = -ELIS-) gets up (= reversal indicator) after writing (R-) to hotel (-H) (RELISH) with gusto (RELISH),
2 Some peacock – it eats (some ‘peacock it eats’ = KITE) bird of prey (KITE),
3 Attractive person (HOT STUFF) from The Sun presumably (HOT STUFF),
4 Impersonators locked up (‘impersonators’ locked up = NATO) by military alliance (NATO),
5 Troubles (UPSETS) supremacists dismissing racism (‘supremacists’ dismissing ‘racism’ = supets = UPSETS),
6 Stop fighting (CALL A TRUCE) with everyone (-ALL) in American state (C- A) promising respite from The Troubles (TRUCE) (CALL A TRUCE),
7 Turns up (= reversal indicator), sweetheart (‘sweet’ heart = -E) has place in Offaly (Birr = -RRIB-) in accommodation (let = TE-L-) (TERRIBLE) that’s dreadful (TERRIBLE),
13 Tasteless (FLASH-) piece of information (-POINT) (FLASHPOINT) indicates when trouble starts (FLASHPOINT),
14 In Battersea (in ‘Battersea’ = TERSE) with Blunt (blunt/abrupt = TERSE),
16 Pain in the neck perhaps (HEADACHE) on top of everything else (HEAD-), as it’s initially awkward (initially “awkward” = -A-) and revolutionary (-CHE) (HEADACHE),
17 A sincere (a sincere = INCREASE) adaptation (= anagram indicator) of Spiral (Spiral = INCREASE),
19 Coat of arms (EMBLEM) of lawyer (-BL-) consumed by upsetting (= reversal indicator) viral phenomenon (meme = EM-EM) (EMBLEM),
21 Universal (U-) fuels (fuels = -SEFUL) designed (= anagram indicator) (USEFUL) to be beneficial (USEFUL),
23 Nicholas drops chin (‘Nicholas’ drops ‘chin’ = olas = ALSO) too (ALSO),
24 Roaming without man (‘roaming’ without ‘man’ = roig = GIRO) of Italian race (GIRO d’Italia).