Conservative leader consumed by bloody class (8)
I believe the answer is:
category
'class' is the definition.
('category' can be a synonym of 'class')
'conservative leader consumed by bloody' is the wordplay.
'leader' indicates taking the first letters.
'consumed' becomes 'ate' (eating is a kind of consuming).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'bloody' becomes 'gory' ('gory' can be similar in meaning to 'bloody').
The first letter of 'conservative' is 'c'.
'c'+'ate'+'gory'='CATEGORY'
(Other definitions for category that I've seen before include "Class or order" , "Grey coat (anag.)" , "Coy Greta found among this class of things" , "Class or division of similar subjects" , "Class, group" .)