Conservative failure is not so far away (6)
I believe the answer is:
closer
'not so far away' is the definition.
'conservative failure' is the wordplay.
'conservative' becomes 'c' (abbreviation commonly used in UK politics).
'failure' becomes 'loser' (synonyms).
'c'+'loser'='CLOSER'
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for closer that I've seen before include "Stuffier" , "Comparatively near" , "not so remote" , "Nearer or more penny-pinching" , "Nearer as to time or event" .)