General Election 2024 LIVE: Sunak launches attack on Starmer's character as campaign gets personal

Rishi Sunak launched a personal attack on Sir Keir Starmer as he argued the Labour leader does not “deserve to decide your future”.

Launching the Welsh Tory manifesto at an event in north Wales, the Prime Minister said: “This is a man who tried to overturn the result of the Brexit referendum, who twice urged everyone to make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister and who ran on a series of pledges to be Labour leader that he cynically then abandoned.

“My friends, because he has such a past he doesn’t deserve to decide your future.”

Mr Sunak also urged voters not to allow Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party to “waltz into office”.

It comes after Mr Sunak faced tough questions over the alleged Tory election betting scandal on a BBC Question Time Leaders’ Special on Thursday evening.

He said Tory figures who are found to have broken betting rules "should face the full force of the law" and will be "booted out" of the party.

With just two weeks until polling day, a string of people with links to the Conservative Party, including two MP candidates and Tory HQ’s director of campaigns are caught up in allegations about gambling on the timing of the July 4 contest.Follow the latest updates from the general election campaign below.

Tories raised less than £1 million in first two weeks of campaign

16:00 , Sami Quadri

The Conservatives raised less than £300,000 in the second week of the election as the party’s campaign continued to falter.

Figures from the Electoral Commission released on Friday show the party raised just £292,500 between June 6 and 12, taking its total donations for the campaign to £889,000.

That figure is significantly below the £8.7 million the Tories raised in the first two weeks of the 2019 campaign.

The top donations were two contributions of £50,000 from Bestway Wholesale, ultimately owned by Tory peer Lord Zameer Choudrey through the Guernsey-based Bestway Group, and an organisation called “The Spring Lunch”.

Opinion poll round-up with 13 days to go until the General Election

15:19 , Sami Quadri

Five opinion polls have been published in the past 24 hours, which show Labour comfortably ahead of the Conservatives by various margins, with one putting Reform ahead of the Tories.

The latest poll by YouGov, carried out online from June 17-18 among 2,060 adults in Britain, put Labour 16 percentage points ahead of the Conservatives.

The figures are Labour 36%, Conservative 20%, Reform 18%, Liberal Democrats 14%, Green 7%, SNP 3%, Plaid Cymru 1% and other parties 2%.

A poll by More in Common, carried out online from June 17-19 among 2,035 adults in Britain, gives Labour a lead of 14 points.

The figures are Labour 39%, Conservative 25%, Reform 14%, Lib Dems 11%, Green 5%, SNP 3% and other parties 2%.

The latest poll by BMG, carried out online from June 18-19 among 1,627 adults in Britain, gives Labour a 23-point lead over both the Tories and Reform.

A poll by Techne, carried out online from June 19-20 among 1,642 UK adults, puts Labour 23 percentage points ahead of the Tories.

Finally, a poll by Redfield & Wilton, carried out online from June 19-20 among 2,500 adults in Britain, has Labour 23 points ahead of Reform and 24 points ahead of the Tories.

Sunak visits farm shop in north-east Wales

14:55 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak spoke to a butcher’s apprentice as he visited a farm shop in north-east Wales.

The Prime Minister asked: “Did you enjoy getting stuck in from the beginning?”

“Yeah, I just kind of fell into it,” the apprentice said.

The Prime Minister was shown different cuts of meat and appeared to suggest they would be nice for a “barbecue on Sunday”.

Mr Sunak was shown a selection of local produce including chorizo jam, meats and gin.

“Very beautiful gin bottles,” he said. “Quite a display over there.”

Starmer rejects independence negotiations if SNP wins majority of Scottish seats

14:30 , Sami Quadri

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he would not enter negotiations with the Scottish Government on an independence referendum if the SNP wins a majority of Scottish seats at the General Election.

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney laid out his party’s manifesto this week, saying a majority would increase pressure on the incoming government to acquiesce to his demands for another vote.

But speaking to journalists on Friday during a visit to Scotland, Sir Keir rubbished the idea.

“No,” he said in response to a question from Bauer Media.

Sir Keir later told reporters the SNP’s ambition was to be the opposition, while his was to form the government.

“The ambition between the SNP and Labour is stark,” he said.

“We say elect Labour MPs in Scotland so they can sit at the heart of an incoming Labour government, bringing about the change that I think so many people in Scotland want.

“What the SNP says is send an MP to send a message, to sit literally on the opposition benches and shout across the aisle.”

Labour will not lift the block on Scotland's controversial gender reforms

13:45 , Sami Quadri

A UK Labour government would not lift the block on the Scottish Government’s controversial gender reforms, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed in Holyrood, but a Section 35 order was later issued by Scottish Secretary Alister Jack to stop the legislation receiving royal assent.

Despite calls from the SNP and the Scottish Greens for a Starmer government to lift the block, the Labour leader told journalists on Friday he would not do so.

“No, there would be no change of position on that,” he said.

“I think there’s a lot to learn about gender self-ID from the way in which it’s been dealt with here Scotland, which is why we’ve got a different proposition in our manifesto.”

First Minister John Swinney has 'got his priorities wrong'

13:30 , Sami Quadri

First Minister John Swinney has “got his priorities wrong”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

This week, the First Minister urged Scots to vote for his party to put pressure on the next UK Government to allow another independence referendum.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to Scotland, the Labour leader said: “I think he’s got his priorities wrong.”

His priority was to ensure a “strong economy” and create jobs, Sir Keir said.

He added: “The ambition between the SNP and Labour is stark.

“We say elect Labour MPs in Scotland so they can sit at the heart of an incoming Labour government, bringing about the change that I think so many people in Scotland want.

“What the SNP says is send an MP to send a message, to sit literally on the opposition benches and shout across the aisle.”

Sunak dodges questions on betting allegations

13:11 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak said law enforcement agencies are responsible for investigating gambling allegations when pressed on whether he had established if any more aides or Cabinet ministers had placed bets.

The Prime Minister told reporters in Wales: “The responsibility for investigating this is with the law enforcement agencies, including the Gambling Commission and the police.”

He dodged a follow-up question on whether he could rule out a member of the Cabinet having also placed a bet, instead repeating: “The job of the Gambling Commission and the police is to investigate anything that they think that is not right. And they should be allowed to get on with that, and it’s not for you or anyone else to speculate on that.”

Corbyn or Johnson 'was not a good choice' for voters, says Starmer

13:03 , Sami Quadri

Making a decision between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson at the 2019 General Election was “not a good choice”, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The Labour leader was asked by broadcasters about his suggestion during the BBC Question Time special on Thursday night that Mr Corbyn would have been a better prime minister than Mr Johnson.

He replied: “The choice at the last election before the electorate was not a good choice. You had Boris Johnson, who won and then three years later was thrown out of Parliament for breaking the rules, you had Jeremy Corbyn who is now expelled from the Labour Party.

“That’s why I have been so determined to change the Labour Party and to make sure that that changed Labour Party puts forward a credible manifesto for growth so that at this election, there will be a real choice between carrying on with the failure of the last 14 years or turning the page and rebuilding the country with a Labour government.”

Asked again if he thought Mr Corbyn would have been a better premier, Sir Keir said: “I have changed the Labour Party because after that election result, we needed to ensure we were a party which proudly said: ‘Country first, party second’, with a manifesto for change, and that’s what we have put before the electorate.

“There is a real choice this time around between carrying on with what we’ve got, the failure of the last 14 years, or starting to rebuild the country with a Labour government.”

Starmer asked about Corbyn support again

13:02 , Tom Davidson

The choice between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson at the 2019 General Election was “not a good choice”, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The Labour leader was asked by broadcasters about his suggestion during the BBC Question Time special on Thursday night that Mr Corbyn would have been a better prime minister than Mr Johnson.

He replied: “The choice at the last election before the electorate was not a good choice. You had Boris Johnson, who won and then three years later was thrown out of Parliament for breaking the rules, you had Jeremy Corbyn who is now expelled from the Labour Party.

“That’s why I have been so determined to change the Labour Party and to make sure that that changed Labour Party puts forward a credible manifesto for growth so that at this election, there will be a real choice between carrying on with the failure of the last 14 years or turning the page and rebuilding the country with a Labour government.”

Asked again if he thought Mr Corbyn would have been a better premier, Sir Keir said: “I have changed the Labour Party because after that election result, we needed to ensure we were a party which proudly said: ‘Country first, party second’, with a manifesto for change, and that’s what we have put before the electorate.

“There is a real choice this time around between carrying on with what we’ve got, the failure of the last 14 years, or starting to rebuild the country with a Labour government.”

Shadow paymaster general challenges Sunak on betting allegations

12:47 , Will Mata

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's shadow paymaster general, claimed Rishi Sunak had failed to to deny more Tory candidates and ministers are being probed in the betting scandal, and urged him to "come clean".

Mr Ashworth said: "Today Rishi Sunak has refused to rule out that further members of the Conservative Party, including Cabinet ministers, are involved in this betting scandal. He needs to come clean with the public.

"He promised integrity, professionalism and accountability, instead his weakness means he has overseen the same levels of sleaze and scandal that have come to epitomise the last 14 years of Tory government.

"Rishi Sunak needs to take immediate action against all implicated.

"It's time to turn a page on this chaos and deliver the change this country needs. It's time for a Labour government."

Sunak coy on betting claims

12:15 , Will Mata

The Prime Minister would not be drawn into whether he was aware of further Conservative candidates or party officials who had placed a bet on the date of the General Election.

Asked if he was aware of more Tories who may have placed such a bet, Rishi Sunak told journalists at the Welsh Conservative manifesto launch: "There is not much more I can add to what I have said previously. There are multiple investigations that are currently happening.

"It is right that those investigations are allowed to proceed. They are independent, they are necessarily confidential, as you will appreciate."

He added: "What I can tell you is, as I said, if anyone is found to have broken the rules, they should not only face the full consequences of the law, but I will ensure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party too."

Sunak claims Labour will 'whack up everyone's taxes'

11:54 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak has claimed a future Labour government is going to “whack up everyone’s taxes”.

Answering questions at the launch of the Welsh Conservative manifesto, Mr Sunak defended his record as Prime Minister over the last 18 months.

He said: “Proud of what we’ve achieved, crucially turning around the economy, getting inflation back to normal and starting to cut everyone’s taxes, and that’s the clear choice at his election: continue on the plan we’re on, continue to cut taxes for people at every stage of their life, or the Labour Party, who just want to hike up everyone’s taxes.”

Mr Sunak said Labour was saying “not right now” when challenged on possible tax rises, adding: “But it is coming, mark my words – a future Labour government is going to whack up everyone’s taxes.

“I don’t want that to happen, we’ve made great progress, I want to continue cutting taxes for everyone.”

Pictured: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking during a visit to a bathroom supply company in Wales

11:52 , Sami Quadri

Sunak urges public not to 'sleepwalk to July 4'

11:45 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak has urged the public not to “sleepwalk to July 4”, adding the General Election was “not a by-election”.

Speaking at the launch of the Conservatives’ manifesto for Wales, the Prime Minister said: “I warn you, don’t fall into Labour’s trap, don’t sleepwalk to July 4.

“I know you want to send us a message, but this is not a by-election. It will determine who governs our country for the next five years and potentially much longer.

“For if Labour get in they will change the rules so it’s much harder to ever get them out. They want to give 16-year-olds a vote not because on principle they think that they are adults, but because they think they’ll vote for them.

“Once they have got power they will change every rule to make sure that they keep it. We can’t let that happen, friends, and it’s only we Conservatives who can stop it.”

Conceding that voters had “frustrations” with the Government, Mr Sunak added: “I have heard you, but once you have handed Keir Starmer and Labour a blank cheque, you cannot get it back.”

Sunak: Do not let Labour ‘waltz into office’

11:44 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak has urged voters not to let Labour “waltz into office without scrutinising them”.

Speaking at the launch of the Welsh Conservative manifesto, the Prime Minister hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s “constant U-turns”.

“Do not let Labour waltz into office without scrutinising them,” he said.

“Do you really know what you’re going to get with Labour?”

He said a “government must make long-term decisions” but asked how Labour could when they have “changed their mind” on major issues.

On Sir Keir, Mr Sunak said: “Because he has such a past, he doesn’t deserve to decide your future.”

Rural health ‘in crisis’ as SNP focus on central belt, Tories claim

11:30 , Sami Quadri

Rural healthcare is “in crisis”, the Tories have claimed, as the party accused the SNP of focusing too heavily on the central belt.

During a campaign visit in the Scottish Borders, Scottish Tory candidate for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk John Lamont laid out his party’s plan to improve rural healthcare.

The plan included a ban on the closure of rural health care services, a review into recently closed facilities and the recruitment of 1,000 more GPs.

Health is devolved to Scotland, meaning the July 4 election will have little impact on the NHS north of the border, except for potential increases in funding where spending rises in England.

“Rural healthcare in Scotland is in crisis, with patients suffering from lengthy waiting times and difficulties accessing essential services,” Mr Lamont said.

“As usual, the SNP are fixated on Scotland’s biggest cities and the central belt at the expense of everywhere else in the country.

“They don’t focus on the top priorities of people in the Borders or other rural areas across Scotland.

“Community hospitals and vital healthcare services are under threat because of a lack of SNP investment.”

Pictured: Sir Ed Davey has a go at drawing during visit to Harrogate College

11:16 , Sami Quadri

Jeremy Corbyn plans to break canvassing records

10:54 , Sami Quadri

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he is attempting to break canvassing records this weekend, by knocking on every door in the constituency where he is standing, in 36 hours.

He will be joined by a number of speakers and campaigners as part of a “mass canvassing operation” in Islington North, where he is standing as an independent candidate.

Last weekend, Mr Corbyn was joined by about 300 volunteers, but he said he will need at least 1,000 this weekend to achieve what he described as an “unprecedented canvassing feat”.

He said: “Labour has the data. They have the resources. They have the head start. There is only one way we can compete with the Labour machine: people-power.

“Every door, every day and every conversation counts. We know that if we reach every voter in Islington North, we can win.

“This is a monumental challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to make history, and to be part of a campaign that offers something very precious: hope.”

Those who break gambling rules should be ‘kicked out’ of Tories, minister insists

10:49 , Sami Quadri

Any Tory figures found to have broken gambling rules should be “kicked out” of the party, a Cabinet minister said as he argued against suspensions while the investigation is ongoing.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies claimed it is “quite difficult to suspend somebody in the middle of an election campaign anyway” as he said the process should be allowed to take its course.

Mr Davies also said he has “absolutely no idea” if any more names are expected to emerge in connection with the Gambling Commission probe, adding: “I haven’t made any bets on anything for many years.”

His remarks follow Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisting he was “incredibly angry to learn” of the allegations that a string of people with links to the Conservative Party or No 10 bet on the timing of the July 4 contest before he announced it.

Private sector growth hits seven-month low as election puts pause on spending

10:25 , Sami Quadri

The UK’s private sector grew at its slowest rate for seven months in June, as goods and services inflation remained stubbornly high and firms put spending decisions on hold until after the General Election.

The S&P Global/CIPS flash UK composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reported a reading of 51.7 in June, down from 53 in May. The figures are based on preliminary data.

Any score below 50 indicates that activity is contracting, and any score above means it is growing.

The UK’s services sector dragged the rest of the private sector down, as growth slowed for the second month running, showing a reading of 51.2 for June.

Lord Kinnock says Tories ‘shrivelled’ then ‘crashed’ UK economy

09:59 , Sami Quadri

Lord Kinnock has claimed that the Tories had “shrivelled” and subsequently “crashed” the UK economy.

The former Labour Party leader said: “The Conservatives first shrivelled the economy and then they crashed it with a mad Budget and sent mortgages and interest rates zooming upwards.

“They are stuck there. That is not national prudence. That is national pillage. And it is what we have come to expect from the Tories.”

Rayner questioned on past support for Jeremy Corbyn

09:38 , Sami Quadri

On why she previously said she was “absolutely gutted” to hear Jeremy Corbyn had been suspended from the Labour Party,deputy leader Angela Rayner told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Since then we’ve seen that Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t really acted in a way that would have been in keeping with the Labour Party.

“He’s now standing against the Labour Party so therefore he’s not a member of the Labour Party any more.”

Rayner says Labour should take 'some responsibility' for 'Tory chaos' for failing to defeat Johnson

09:23 , Sami Quadri

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner suggested the party “takes some responsibility” for the “Tory chaos” after the 2019 election because of its failure to defeat Boris Johnson.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I think the 2019 general election result, we got hammered by the electorate, I’m not going to put it any plainer than that, and we saw the devastation after that where Boris Johnson was elected and I think some of the feedback I got was that Labour didn’t offer an alternative.

“That period of time was not good for Labour, we didn’t get elected.”

Pressed on why Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously backed his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, before distancing himself, Ms Rayner said: “Keir is very clear that we were fighting for a Labour government, as was I at the time, and I think we all saw what happened after 2019 and what happened when Boris Johnson became prime minister – the parties, the unlawful behaviour, the sleaze, the scandal, the chaos as Liz Truss crashed our economy.

“We all feel a lot of guilt over the fact that we didn’t put a programme forward that the electorate would vote for and I think that’s why Keir feels uncomfortable.

“We’ve changed the Labour Party since then because we need a Labour Party that’s going to serve the British people because we’ve seen what happens when we had the Tory chaos and we take some responsibility for that because we lost the election.”

Labour will aim to deliver major transport schemes 25% faster and 20% cheaper

09:17 , Sami Quadri

Labour has announced it will aim to deliver major transport projects 25% faster and 20% cheaper than current levels if it wins the General Election.

The targets are based on the expected findings of a review into rail and urban transport infrastructure commissioned by the party and led by former Siemens UK boss Juergen Maier.

Labour said it will “apply industry-leading best practice to major transport projects from the start”, and publish a “long-term strategy for transport”.

The party accused the Conservatives of having a “broken approach to infrastructure”, claiming delays to large schemes have reached “unsustainable levels” which are “costing the taxpayer dearly”.

Labour NHS plans will 'save money', Rayner says

08:33 , Sami Quadri

Angela Rayner said Labour’s plans for the NHS and social care workforce would save money, “never mind coming in cost neutral”.

Asked about the costs of Labour’s plans to improve retention in the NHS, the Labour deputy leader told Radio 4’s Today programme: “I actually think by having that workforce plan, and I’ve worked in the social care sector before, and I represented Unison members who worked in our NHS for years as a convenor as well, I actually think we could save money if we could do those reforms.

“If we could value the staff, if we can retain the staff so we’re not paying huge agency fees, I actually think we could save money, never mind coming in cost neutral.

“I think it’s a scandal that we’re spending so much money on agency fees and keeping people on trolleys in A&E because we don’t have the right support for people at the right time when they need it.”

Welsh secretary worried about Conservative Party's reputation following betting scandal

08:26 , Sami Quadri

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies acknowledged he is worried about the impact on the Conservative Party’s reputation following allegations about betting on the timing of the General Election.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “On the morning that the election was called I was talking to civil servants and they said ‘Oh, have you heard this rumour?’ or words to that effect.

“But we didn’t know and very often in the past I’ve had conversations like that, so I didn’t know and I wasn’t certain, I think, until the PM called us in that afternoon, and I am in the Cabinet so you might have thought I’d have had some advance notice.”

Asked if he was worried about the reputation of the Tory Party on questions of ethics and integrity, particularly given the impact of the Partygate scandal, Mr Davies replied: “Well, of course I am.

“I took a decision when I entered the Wales Office as Secretary of State that I’d do two things immediately to set an example. The first was to get rid of the ministerial car, so I’ve been happily travelling around on the Tube ever since, which I don’t think is appropriate for all Cabinet ministers, by the way, because some of them have more security issues than I do.

“The second thing I did was to look round, notice there was alcohol in the building and ask for it all to be removed within 48 hours, for there to be no alcohol to be served at any official Wales Office events at all, and for nobody – including and of course especially myself – to be drinking alcohol at any official functions at any time of the day or night.”

Tories’ Welsh manifesto will ‘shift the dial’, says David TC Davies

08:09 , Sami Quadri

David TC Davies said he believes the Tories’ Welsh manifesto will help to “shift the dial.”

Rishi Sunak and Mr Davies are scheduled to launch the Conservative Party’s blueprint for Wales at an event later this morning.

When asked by Sky News if he believed it will “shift the dial,” Mr Davies responded: “Yes, I am, because obviously I have done a lot of canvassing anyway within Wales, within Monmouthshire, and I know that there is a lot of criticism of the Labour government.

“We have had a Labour government in Wales now for 25 years. We have got longer waiting lists than people in England, we have got lower educational standards than people in England.

“We see money that has been given to the Welsh Labour government that is not being passed on for things like childcare, for example, 30 hours of free childcare, or business rates discounts for small businesses like pubs and restaurants. People are really, really fed up.”

Labour will combat ‘generation of misogynists’ with school programmes on sexism

07:49 , Sami Quadri

The Labour Party will stamp out the “rising tide” of sexism by tackling the issue in schools, according to shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson.

Ms Phillipson told the Daily Mail that a “generation of misogynists” will one day take hold unless urgent action is taken.

“I want to make sure that we have a generation of boys and young men who grow up respecting women rather than the growing levels of misogyny we are seeing at the moment,” she said.

Ms Phillipson said the best way to address the issue is to involve boys and men in finding the solution.

“We’ve seen some great work that has been under way about making sure that young men have peer-to-peer mentoring so that young men can support one another in challenging unacceptable attitudes towards women,” she said.

“I believe it is really important that young people have the critical thinking skills to be able to look at what is in front of them and make an assessment of that, which is where schools have to come in.”

What to expect on the General Election campaign trail on Friday

07:42 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak will visit Wales today to launch the Welsh Conservative manifesto as the general election campaign enters its fifth week.

The Prime Minister will speak in North Wales, supporting Andrew RT Davies.

After four days in England, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Scotland with his Scottish counterpart Anas Sarwar for a business visit.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will visit a target seat in Yorkshire this morning, followed by a campaign stop in a Tory "Blue Wall" constituency in Norfolk.

Nigel Farage will campaign in Clacton, aiming for a Commons seat in his eighth run for Parliament. His interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson will air this evening at 7 pm.

Teenagers who refuse National Service could forfeit driving licence, Sunak suggests

07:40 , Sami Quadri

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has suggested that young people who refuse to participate in national service could lose their driving licences and be denied access to student loans.

He emphasised the need for "a set of sanctions and incentives" to ensure compliance with the new scheme proposed by the Tories.

When asked about enforcement, Sunak mentioned that the UK could adopt punitive measures similar to those used by other European nations. The Tories have included plans for a new national service scheme in their manifesto.

Sunak vows to boot out Tories found to have broken betting rules

07:37 , Sami Quadri

Rishi Sunak said Tory figures who are found to have broken gambling rules “should face the full force of the law”, as he is likely to face further questions on the betting scandal engulfing his election campaign.

The Prime Minister said he was “incredibly angry to learn” of the allegations that a string of people with links to the Conservative Party or No 10 bet on the timing of the July 4 contest before he announced it.

Mr Sunak was asked during a bruising appearance on Thursday night’s BBC Question Time leaders’ special whether the betting allegations were “the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics” displayed by the Conservative Party in recent years.

The Prime Minister replied: “I was incredibly angry – incredibly angry – to learn of these allegations.

“It’s a really serious matter. It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities, including … a criminal investigation by the police.

“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”