Bruce Mpofu moved to Bradford at aged 9 and has lived in the UK his whole life, moving to Yorkshire as a child with his mum - who works for the NHS.
He knows no one in Zimbabwe, the country he has just been deported to, and was given just £40 to start a new life with after Home Office officials made the decision to deport him for a crime he had committed years before.
Now aged 29, Bruce was deported for a crime he committed in 2010 - and which he has already served 11 months in jail for. He has not reoffended since.
However, when attending a routine immigration meeting in July, he found he was being detained.
Now, following a series of legal battles, he has been deported with just £40 in his pocket - having been put on a charter flight from Heathrow airport and flown to Harare, Zimbabwe following the decisino by Home Office officials.
A Go Fund Me has been set up to try and reverse the deportation and to help Bruce survive in Zimbabwe, where it is feared he will become homeless.
The appeal reads: "Whilst he made a mistake as a minor, he has nothing but been an upstanding citizen since and the decision from the Home Office seems cruel and unjust.
"Bruce was deported to Zimbabwe at 10pm on 25th August.
"Bruce has landed in Harare and the UK government have given him a huge sum of £40 to help him start his new life. This is why there are people who have been deported from the UK now sleeping rough in Zimbabwe.
"We are now desperately trying to raise funds to help prevent Bruce from being homeless. It will also help him with things that we take for granted such as food and clothing."
At the time of writing, the Go Fund Me appeal for Bruce has raised over £5,000.
Before this summer. no mass deportation flights had left for Zimbabwe in over a decade.
However, according to reports in Bradford's The Telegraph and Argus, it is said that the UK has "agreed a deal with the country’s new government which enables removals of Zimbabwean nationals who have served prison sentences in the UK of more than 12 months."
When the paper approached the Home Office for comment, they said:
“Foreign criminals who abuse our hospitality should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. Since January 2019 we have removed 7,985 foreign national offenders from the UK.
“We only ever return those who we and, where applicable, the courts are satisfied do not need our protection and have no legal basis to remain in the UK.
“All people in IRCs are provided with a mobile phone and have access to landline telephones on request, fax machines, email, and video calling facilities which can be used to contact legal representatives. We check the signal regularly and no issues have been recorded.”
A Leeds pub has been crowned one of the very best in the country by The Good Food Guide.
The trusted guide has just released its 100 Best Pubs in Britain list, and we're very chuffed with the results indeed.
Taking the coveted number three spot is our very own The Highland Laddie, a 100-year-old city centre institution that reopened in April 2025 in the hands of new owners Sam Pullan and Nicole Deighton.
These guys also run the Empire Cafe, so you just know it's going to be good.
Last year they soared straight to the top of the list and were crowned the best pub in the whole of Britain by the guide.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This time, the Queen's Arms over in Eccles came number one followed by The Cow in Notting Hill.
We still think bagging third place is quite the achievement, and if you've visited The Highland Laddie yourself you'll know just how much of a special place it is.
Don't just take our word for it, The Good Food Guide labelled the Laddie as 'a true pub with a genuine community vibe'.
They also said: "Reenergised by the team behind the Empire Cafe in 2025, this is everything that a proper English pub should be – 'oh, and they have a mustard menu!'
"Inside, the Laddie ticks all the boxes, preserving the essentials of a traditional old-school boozer and maintaining a genuine sense of community while letting the good times roll. As for the food, it’s ‘both high-end and accessible’, pulling in ideas from all over, whether you fancy a freshly shucked Lindisfarne oyster, a keema toastie or an elevated ham roll with bread cooked over the coals.
"Dig deeper and you might find a lobster madeleine with Yorkshire chorizo butter, a treacle onion tart or pork schnitzel with two fried eggs. Club steaks are served by the inch, there’s no creative let-up when it comes to sides, and the nostalgia is ramped up with the likes of strawberry and Champagne trifle with ‘sprinkles’.
"But never forget that this is a self-proclaimed ‘drinkers’ pub’ dispensing everything from ‘properly served’ British brews and ’the best Guinness in Leeds’ to a staggering line-up of whisky optics."
Popular egg sandwich shop Egg & Co is opening in Leeds city centre
Clementine Hall
This much loved breakfast spot do one thing and one thing very well...egg sandwiches.
And it may be a familiar name to some of you lot, as Egg & Co recently opened up on bustling Deansgate in Manchester as well as inside Cambridge Street Collective in Sheffield.
This will be their first site in Leeds, though, and we're very 'eggsited' about it...sorry.
If you've got been introduced to the wonders of Egg & Co yet, then allow us to fill you in on what to expect.
Images: The Manc Group
From here, you’ll be able to grab their unbeatable breakfast sandwiches, where soft scrambled egg is piled into warm brioche buns.
There are a dozen or so breakfast butties on the menu here (yes, they do all feature egg), with other fillings ranging from beef patties to turkey bacon to caramelised onion.
And there’s more – sides here include truffle hash browns, curly fries, and chicken bites.
Of course it wouldn't be a breakfast spot without some caffeinated beverages as well, so we predict as with their Manchester site you'll be able to grab your morning coffee and matcha as well as freshly squeezed orange juice fresh enough to cure any hangover.
We don't know of the exact location yet, but we do know it'll be in Leeds city centre.
Images: The Manc Group
Teasing the news on their Instagram, Egg & Co said: "LEEDS, WE’RE ON OUR WAY. You heard it right. Eggandco is heading to Leeds!
"Same eggs. Same fresh sandwiches. Same Eggandco experience. Just a new city to call home."
Of course, in true Leeds fashion, supporters flocked to the comments to show their excitement and demanding an extra clue on the exact location.
Egg & Co are keeping this under wraps for now, but we'll keep you updated as and when we know more.
Georgina Pellant -
6th September 2021 
