Crossword Genius

Treat former-PM with contempt and consternation (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dismay

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'consternation' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'treat former-pm with contempt' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'pm' could be 'may' (former UK prime minister Theresa May) and 'may' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'dis' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dismay that I've seen before include "Sadden" , "Affright" , "Consternation, discouragement" , "Fill with apprehension" , "Concern and distress at something unexpected" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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