Cryptic crossword clue
Labour contender? Preference always keeping close to chest 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PICKETER

P
I
C
K
E
T
E
R

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The straight part
We know that "Labour contender" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case labour contender = picketer.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

Crossword Answer definitions

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