JULIA Gillard's staff were preparing a leadership speech two weeks before she forced out Kevin Rudd in June 2010, the ABC program Four Corners has found.
The speech was being written while Ms Gillard, then Mr Rudd's deputy, was publicly saying she didn't want to replace him, which she did on June 24, 2010.
Ms Gillard appeared evasive when asked about the speech in an interview Four Corners broadcast tonight.
"I did not ask for a speech to be prepared," said the Prime Minister.
The program tonight was called "The Comeback Kid?" but made no conclusion on whether Mr Rudd would regain the Labor leadership.
However it ensured the leadership uncertainty was prolonged, much to the regret of senior Labor figures even before they saw the program.
One told news.com.au, "I don't know if it will be bad for her; I don't know if it will be bad for him. But I know it will be bad for us."
Mr Rudd declined to be interviewed for the program, whose reporters began following him during the ALP national conference in Sydney last December.
His critics dominated the interviews which were shown, with former Labor minister Con Sciacca telling the program, "There is no love for Kevin Rudd in the Labor Party, certainly not within the unions."
A former junior Rudd staffer, Troy Bramston, was shown describing the then-Prime Minister's work style as "crazy craziness".
But Mr Bramston also said, "There was no doubt that he was a person of immense vision and capacity and intelligence."
Mr Rudd last week said he was "a happy little Vegemite" as Foreign Minister and earlier replied "of course" when asked if he backed Prime Minister Gillard.
Senior Labor figures have told news.com.au there are not the numbers nor the top ranks support for a Rudd return, but have acknowledged the damage leadership speculation is doing to the Government.
Almost half the electorate believes Ms Gillard will not lead Labor into the next election, an Essential media poll has found.
The survey reported that 47 per cent of voters didn't think Ms Gillard will take her party into the campaign, while 31 per cent thought she would.
However, there is a clear party divide on the matter.
Some 54 per cent of Labor voters think Ms Gillard will still be there at the election, compared to just 19 per cent of Coalition voters.
The Essential Media poll also confirmed other surveys which have found that voters are equally dissatisfied with Ms Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
It found the performance of both was considered unsatisfactory by 53 per cent of voters although Ms Gillard was rated preferred Prime Minister by 41 per cent to 34 per cent.
