Kevin Rudd, the Australian prime minister, has stood down before a leadership vote in his Labor party, paving the way for his deputy Julia Gillard to become the country's first female leader.<br /><br />With opinion polls for Rudd and Labor plummeting, Rudd's erstwhile loyal deputy decided it was time for the boss to go and the prime minister chose not to stand in a party leader vote after it became clear he had lost the support of Labor MPs.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports. (June 24, 2010)
