Crossword Genius

Send message following political enforcer's defeat (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whipping

'defeat' is the definition.
(I know that whipping is a type of defeat)

'send message following political enforcer's' is the wordplay.
'send message' becomes 'ping' (to ping is to message electronically).
'following' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'political enforcer' becomes 'whip' (UK political term).
'ping' put after 'whip' is 'WHIPPING'.

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.