FORMER prime minister Kevin Rudd has taken the extraordinary step of writing to his own branch members to distance himself from the botched leadership coup instigated in his name and urged them to support Julia Gillard.
The Griffith MP also warned his local members that Labor would face a battle to hold his electorate - the party's safest in Queensland.
The move comes as some within Labor continue to call for Mr Rudd to retire at the next election, despite his insistence that he plans to recontest his seat.
In the letter sent to about 800 ALP members in Griffith, Mr Rudd said the events leading up to last week's aborted ballot "were not of my choosing" and were "difficult" for everyone in Labor.
He defended his decision not to contest the ballot based on his previous vow not to challenge Ms Gillard and restated his intention to campaign with the prime minister before the September 14 election. Mr Rudd also warned he could lose his seat, which he holds with an 8.5 per cent margin.
"The real task ahead is to hold Griffith for the Labor Party and to prevent Tony Abbott from walking into the Lodge on September 15," Mr Rudd wrote. "That will require all of our energies locally and nationally."
The letter was written just before the latest Newspoll found Labor's primary vote had collapsed to 30 per cent and Ms Gillard's personal approval rating plummeted to a 19-month low.
SUPPORTER: Kevin Rudd is throwing his weight behind his boss Julia Gillard.
Ms Gillard blamed the poll slump on the leadership turmoil.
"I don't think anybody in the country needed an opinion poll to tell them that last week Labor had a truly appalling week," she said.
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