Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was admitted to hospital on Friday for surgery to treat severe stomach pain ? one month after he was dramatically removed from office by his own party.

The former Labour leader (52) was admitted to hospital in Brisbane after suffering acute abdominal pain, a spokesperson said.

"Mr. Rudd will have an operation to remove his gallbladder later today," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Rudd, who is standing for re-election for his Queensland seat on 21 August national polls, has haunted the election campaign of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who wrested power from him in a party coup in late June.

Gillard has publicly promised Rudd a senior ministerial role if Labour is re-elected, but her campaign has lost momentum amid damaging cabinet leaks which some have suggested may have come from Rudd.

Former colleague and one-time prime ministerial candidate Mark Latham on Friday challenged Rudd over the leaks, which revealed that the childless Gillard once questioned a popular pension increase for the elderly and paid maternity leave.

Latham, who led the Labour Party for 13 months before resigning in January 2005 citing ill health and amid dissent about his leadership, suggested Rudd had taken the "snake's way" of leaking to journalists.

"I think it's unmanly and beneath a decent Aussie bloke to act this way, let alone an ex-prime minister," Latham told Sky News on Thursday.

"So I challenge Kevin Rudd to be a man, to be honest, to have some honour and actually, if he feels this strongly about it, put his name to his words."

A spokesperson for Rudd said the former leader would never comment on cabinet discussions but was committed to a Labour victory.

"Mr. Rudd looks forward to resuming campaign activities next week ? both in his own electorate, elsewhere in Queensland and the rest of the country as appropriate ? in support of the re-election of the government and Prime Minister Gillard," he said.