Idea of Rudd comeback 'over': Feeney

LABOR senator David Feeney says the idea of a Kevin Rudd comeback as prime minister is over after Thursday's leadership tussle.

Speaking on Thursday night, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence said Julia Gillard had won a decisive victory over Mr Rudd to confirm herself as party leader.

"The idea of a Kevin Rudd prime ministership is over," Senator Feeney told ABC television.

"It's not a pyrrhic victory, it's a decisive victory. This is an occasion where for the third time the prime minister has been decisively re-endorsed by the caucus as leader."

Labor MPs and senators met for a caucus spill motion on Thursday afternoon after party elder Simon Crean sought to end months of talk about a Kevin Rudd reboot.

Ms Gillard retained the leadership unopposed after Mr Rudd said he wouldn't stand without a request from a majority of the party.

Senator Feeney said the party now had to remain "absolutely focused on the challenge that is immediately before" it.

"This has been a week where the Liberal Party have quite happily said nothing and done nothing and allowed the Labor Party to talk about itself," he said.

"It's precisely the type of week that's emblematic of our challenge."

Senator Feeney refused to be drawn on whether there were concerns inside Labor about cabinet processes under Ms Gillard.

He said he could not comment on the issue because he was not a cabinet member.

"I'm not about to start speculating on cabinet processes," he said.

He said he believed Mr Rudd didn't have a tilt at the top job because "he knew he didn't have the support to become leader".

Victorian Labor MP Richard Marles told the ABC he backed Mr Rudd because he thought the former leader represented the "best chance" for the party.

"I thought the best chance we had in terms of putting our best foot forward was for Kevin Rudd to contest," he said.

"I had a point of view, I made it clear, I don't resile from it, I certainly made my decision, there is no regrets."

At no point did Mr Rudd say he was going to stand for the leadership, Mr Marles said.

"It has always been a question of trying to convince Kevin that this was something that he should do," he said.

Ms Gillard accepted the resignation of Mr Marles from his parliamentary secretary position following Thursday's dramatic events.

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