Conservative rebels in times of intense difficulty (6)
I believe the answer is:
crises
'times of intense difficulty' is the definition.
'crises' can be an answer for 'times' (I have seen 'Times of danger ' mean 'crises' so perhaps 'times' could also mean 'crises'). I am not sure about the 'of intense difficulty' bit.
'conservative rebels' is the wordplay.
'conservative' becomes 'C' (UK political abbreviation).
'rebels' becomes 'rises' ('rise' can be a synonym of 'rebel').
'c'+'rises'='CRISES'
'in' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for crises that I've seen before include "desperate situations" , "desperate times" , "lot of emergencies" , "Crucial stages or unstable situations of difficulty" , "moments of disaster" .)