Less than 24 hours after being anointed leader of the United Australia Party, Craig Kelly’s authority has been undermined by founder Clive Palmer after the Queensland billionaire insisted the maverick MP did not have sole authority over election policies.

Mr Kelly, the MP for Hughes who defected from the Liberal Party in February, confirmed on Monday that he had joined Mr Palmer’s party, and pledged to run anti-lockdown candidates in every lower house electorate at the next federal election.