Following a newspaper lead in Essex, right? (5)
I believe the answer is:
after
'following' is the definition.
(following can mean after or as a result of)
'a newspaper lead in essex right?' is the wordplay.
'newspaper' becomes 'FT' (Financial Times newspaper).
'lead in' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'essex right' is 'er'.
'a'+'ft'+'er'='AFTER'
(Other definitions for after that I've seen before include "Behind; seeking" , "Pursuing" , "Post, later than" , "Searching for" , "Looking for" .)