Chris Bowen

Kevin Rudd has said he will never again challenge for the leadership of the Labor Party. But he barely challenged the last two times such is his gutlessness.

This time round he pushed Simon Crean out in front to take the bullets and as a result Crean is now a political corpse lying at his feet, gunned down by the lack of spine in Kevin Rudd.

Sacked minister Simon Crean, who sparked Labor’s leadership crisis this week, says Kevin Rudd’s camp had fully endorsed his intervention to demand the Prime Minister call a spill.

His account directly contradicts the version of Mr Rudd, who on Friday said he had ”not expected the spontaneous combustion of Mr Crean’s” demand for a ballot, and promised he would never again seek the leadership.

Mr Rudd’s last-minute decision to back out of a challenge has led to bitter recriminations among his supporters, with Mr Crean describing Mr Rudd’s key support group as ”disorganised, unbelievable and shameless”.

“He reneged on our deal, it was gutless,” Mr Crean said. “At no stage did they say to me that Rudd wouldn’t run if he didn’t have the numbers.

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ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

There seems to be some speculation in Australia as to whether Julia Gillard is a liar or incompetent or perhaps both. No wonder Kevin Rudd thinks he can have another crack at the leadership.

THE federal cabinet is divided over the integrity of the Prime Minister, with senior ministers disputing her claim she did not know until the last minute about a deal to allow Gina Rinehart to import 1700 workers to help build a massive iron ore project in Western Australia.

With the issue placing fresh pressure on Julia Gillard’s leadership, the ministers Martin Ferguson and Chris Bowen have told colleagues they had been hung out to dry by the Prime Minister as she distanced herself from the policy to placate a backlash from the unions who support her.

The ministers’ backers were saying yesterday that Mr Bowen had informed Ms Gillard’s office the week before last that Ms Rinehart would be the first to be granted an enterprise migration agreement. This would enable her company, Hancock Prospecting, to import 1715 workers to help build the $9.5 billion Roy Hill iron ore project in the Pilbara.