Conservatives behind the Times newspaper, not the Scotsman (3,5)
I believe the answer is:
old guard
'conservatives' is the definition.
(old guard can mean older or conservative people)
I don't understand the rest of the clue.
(Other definitions for old guard that I've seen before include "Most conservative members of a group - of sentries" , "Conservative element; dyed-in-the-wool types" , "Traditionalists" , "Long-standing group members, set in their ways" , "Reactionaries" .)