PM in trouble before start of hustings (5)
I believe the answer is:
heath
'pm' is the definition.
(prime minister Edward Heath)
'trouble before start of hustings' is the wordplay.
'trouble' becomes 'heat' (heat can mean criticism or controversy).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'start of' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'hustings' is 'h'.
'heat'+'h'='HEATH'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for heath that I've seen before include "Open land with scrubby vegetation" , "Open uncultivated land" , "part of Hampstead" , "Ted - - (former PM)" , "Place of gorse/heather" .)