Angus Taylor has secured the defection of Nationals senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as part of his run for the leadership of the Liberal Party, which he vowed to rebuild by encouraging more robust internal policy debate and promoting fresh talent.

But the recruitment of Price – a popular figure among conservatives who raised eyebrows when she pledged to “Make Australia Great Again” and is expected to be Taylor’s deputy – has outraged Liberal moderates, who say it will push the party even further to the right and fast-track its destruction.