<p>Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who deposed Rudd in a shock party coup five weeks ago before calling an August 21 election, lambasted the opposition over the ''disgraceful'' claims.<br /><br />"While Kevin is in hospital recovering from an operation, here is the Liberal Party, out there with a disgraceful political attack," the Labour Party leader told reporters in Sydney after Rudd had gallbladder surgery Friday.<br /><br />Gillard's furious reaction came after the 'Sunday Telegraph' quoted ex-Liberal foreign minister Alexander Downer as saying his party "mercilessly" used then backbencher Rudd a decade ago to leak information to the media.<br /><br />The row is the latest controversy to overshadow Gillard's campaign to be elected as Australia's first woman prime minister in her own right and comes after a new opinion poll showed her headed for defeat.<br /><br />Rudd, who has denied being behind any leaks, immediately hit back at the claims by his former arch-political enemy Downer."These are serious allegations... they are completely and utterly false," a spokesman for the former leader said.<br /><br />"Mr Rudd is taking legal advice with a view to initiating legal proceedings on this matter."<br />The newspaper quoted Downer as saying the erstwhile Liberal government manipulated Rudd into passing on information damaging to Labor's then foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton, whom Rudd later replaced.</p>.<p>"We used him mercilessly to embarrass Brereton," it quoted Downer as saying.<br />Downer issued a statement saying his comments had been "misinterpreted".<br />"Kevin Rudd was not used by me or other members of the Liberal Party as a so-called 'double agent' to leak material against other members of the Labour Party," he said. </p>
<p>Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who deposed Rudd in a shock party coup five weeks ago before calling an August 21 election, lambasted the opposition over the ''disgraceful'' claims.<br /><br />"While Kevin is in hospital recovering from an operation, here is the Liberal Party, out there with a disgraceful political attack," the Labour Party leader told reporters in Sydney after Rudd had gallbladder surgery Friday.<br /><br />Gillard's furious reaction came after the 'Sunday Telegraph' quoted ex-Liberal foreign minister Alexander Downer as saying his party "mercilessly" used then backbencher Rudd a decade ago to leak information to the media.<br /><br />The row is the latest controversy to overshadow Gillard's campaign to be elected as Australia's first woman prime minister in her own right and comes after a new opinion poll showed her headed for defeat.<br /><br />Rudd, who has denied being behind any leaks, immediately hit back at the claims by his former arch-political enemy Downer."These are serious allegations... they are completely and utterly false," a spokesman for the former leader said.<br /><br />"Mr Rudd is taking legal advice with a view to initiating legal proceedings on this matter."<br />The newspaper quoted Downer as saying the erstwhile Liberal government manipulated Rudd into passing on information damaging to Labor's then foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton, whom Rudd later replaced.</p>.<p>"We used him mercilessly to embarrass Brereton," it quoted Downer as saying.<br />Downer issued a statement saying his comments had been "misinterpreted".<br />"Kevin Rudd was not used by me or other members of the Liberal Party as a so-called 'double agent' to leak material against other members of the Labour Party," he said. </p>