Secret political clique (5)
I believe the answer is:
cabal
'secret political clique' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for cabal that I've seen before include "Group of political intriguers" , "Plotting group" , "Small party" , "Secret political clique or faction" , "Small group of (eg political) plotters" .)