An online meeting of senior Liberal Party strategists has confirmed that the party can best address its devastating defeat at the 3 May election by shifting even further to the right of the political spectrum.

The meeting of Liberal Party activists (main picture) was convened to discuss a way forward for their party and quickly reached a consensus.

Agreement came swiftly after a previously unknown party operative Tony Labanese (middle in bottom row in main picture) passionately argued that the best chance for the Liberals to return to office was to shift beyond the far right-wing positions Peter Dutton failed to sell to voters and to go even further right.

“I personally see great benefits flowing from the Liberal Party in shifting further right,” Labanese said. “The voter on the far far far right is just waiting to be captured by the Liberal Party.

“And by the voter, I mean the voter. So go for it. I’ll back you all the way,” he said.

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Former shadow federal treasurer Angus Taylor says he is confident of securing the Liberal Party leadership at a party room meeting tomorrow.

“At present our party has about 42 seats left after the 3 May election,” Mr Taylor said.

“I am confident I can get more than half – that’s 15% – of those MPs to vote for me. No, wait. Is it 15 or 50?

“Anyway, I’m sure I’ll get the 18 votes needed to get across the line tomorrow.”

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The factional deal that has seen former Albanese Government ministers Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic lose their cabinet spots has itself sparked a realignment of factional allegiances in the Labor party caucus.

A party source defended the party’s formalised factional structure, saying it ensured a balance between the left and right wings of the party.

“Both Mark and Ed recognise this fact because since their dumping by the right faction in their respective states of Victoria and NSW the two ex-ministers have agreed to form their own faction,” the source said.

“Of course we’re yet to see just what impact Mark and Ed’s new left-right-out faction will have.”

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Political observers say Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has obviously concluded that she has lost her seat as counting of upper house votes cast at last Saturday’s election continues in Hobart.

They base their forecast on the fact that at her latest news conference Senator Lambie failed to start yelling at precisely two minutes into her remarks.

“It’s the first time ever that she has not yelled and uttered mild expletives when making a public statement so I reckon she knows she’s cactus,” said one long-time analyst.

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