Heading off conflict with European PM once (6)

I believe the answer is:

attlee

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'pm once' is the definition.
(prime minister Clement Attlee)

'heading off conflict with european' is the wordplay.
'heading off' means to remove the first letter.
'conflict' becomes 'battle' (synonyms).
'with european' becomes 'e' (abbreviation e.g. EU. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'battle' with its first letter taken off is 'attle'.
'attle'+'e'='ATTLEE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for attlee that I've seen before include "Clement -, UK PM" , "Prime minister nineteen forty five to fifty one" , "Labour prime minister, d. 1967" , "Clement . . . . . . was British PM post WW2" , "Clement -, PM nineteen forty five - fifty one" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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