| GEORGEGALLOWAY | Scottish politician who lost his seat five months after winning it in Rochdale (6,8) |
| EVERMORE | The ninth studio album by Taylor Swift, released in December 2020, less than five months after Folklore (8) |
| ERASTOUR | It began nearly five months after "Midnights" |
| HOKE | Congressman Martin ___, who lost his seat to Dennis Kucinich in 1996 |
| SHADBOLT | Invercargill's longest serving mayor, who lost his seat in 2022 (8) |
| GRANT | Mr Schapps, MP who lost his seat in the last election (5) |
| FIELDS | Gracie, actress and music hall star born in Rochdale in 1898 (6) |
| TITLE | Does a boxer make a name for himself by winning it? (5) |
| WATERLOOROAD | BBC TV drama series set in Rochdale and latterly Greenock (8,4) |
| RASE | Rip down, in Rochdale |
| BADLOSER | Claire sold a Banksy piece back - she resents not winning it! |
| LOTTO | Winning it may not make you happier long-term |
| CHARLESKENNEDY | Scottish politician who led the Liberal Democrats from 1999-2006 (7,7) |
| EWING | Winnie, Scottish politician who won the Hamilton by-election in 1967 for the Scottish National Party (5) |
| KEIRHARDIE | Scottish politician who became the first person to lead the Labour Party in the House of Commons in 1906 (4,6) |
| SMITH | John, Scottish politician who succeeded Neil Kinnock as Labour leader in 1992 (5) |
| CLINTON | Hillary, U.S. politician who lost to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election (7) |
| MCCAIN | John - - -, politician who lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election |
| POILIEVRE | Politician who lost to Fanjoy in the 2025 Canadian federal election |
| ROYAL | Segolene ___, politician who lost to Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 French presidential election (5) |
