Take a cold shower, says former PM Kevin Rudd as he denies leadership challenge claims Kevin Rudd has told the media to take a cold shower when asked if he would be challenging the PM this year. KEVIN Rudd has scoffed at reports he is within striking distance of toppling Julia Gillard for the federal Labor leadership. "Give us a break, give us a break," he told reporters in Canberra today when asked whether his backers were counting the numbers. Mr Rudd insisted his position was unchanged from 12 months ago, after he comprehensively lost a leadership ballot 31 votes to 71. "I supported the Prime Minister ... that remains my position," he said. Everyone should take a long, cold shower. Senior Labor ministers are urging their party to make use of Mr Rudd's popularity, as Ms Gillard's fury at leaking Caucus members is interpreted as a lashing out at Rudd supporters. The Prime Minister has demanded unity from her MPs as senior cabinet ministers call for a greater role for Kevin Rudd. Another Newspoll released today revealed support for Labor's handling of the economy had crashed from 34 per cent to 28 per cent. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is laying much of the blame for federal Labor's recent slump in the opinion polls on the arrest of Craig Thomson. "This is a poll taken at the peak of a fairly difficult and destabilising event in the arrest of Craig Thomson," Senator Conroy told Fairfax Radio in Melbourne today. Labor's latest political dramas come as betting agency Sportsbet was forced to shut down an online market for the federal election date just hours before Julia Gillard made the shock announcement last week, after a flurry of mysterious bets. Sportsbet confirmed that it had become suspicious when a high volume of small bets began to flood in on for a September election date last Wednesday morning, for no apparent reason. Only a handful of people were said to be in the loop on Ms Gillard's plan, including several ministers, some staff, the independents and the Greens.