An extraordinary story in this morning's Herald: a Prime Minister so friendless in his own party that he sends a staffer to check that he still has the numbers to stay leader.
Rudd's secret polling on his leadership:
"The Herald has learnt from a number of MPs that the Prime Minister's most trusted lieutenant, his chief of staff, Alister Jordan, has been talking privately to almost half the caucus to gauge whether Mr Rudd has the support of his party.
Mr Jordan's soundings, conducted in the past month with Mr Rudd's knowledge, reveal three key aspects of the Prime Minister's position.
First, he is deeply concerned about the security of his grip on the prime ministership.
Second, he does not necessarily fully trust the public assurances of his deputy, Julia Gillard, that she is not interested in the leadership. And third, he does still enjoy solid support in the caucus."
