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Whip accepting work with Young Conservatives is an imitator (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

copycat

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'an imitator' is the definition.
('copycat' can be a synonym of 'imitator')

'whip accepting work with young conservatives' is the wordplay.
'whip' becomes 'cat' (cat o' nine tails, cat for short is a type of whip).
'accepting' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'work with' becomes 'op' (common abbreviation for 'opus'. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'young' becomes 'y'.
'conservatives' becomes 'c' (abbreviation in UK politics).
'op'+'y'+'c'='opyc'
'cat' enclosing 'opyc' is 'COPYCAT'.

'is' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for copycat that I've seen before include "not the original one" , "Person imitating another (or cloned pet?)" , "Some murders are" , "Ape" , "Emulator" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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