Italian grandmother who has lived in UK for 42 years told to leave by Home Office
An Italian woman who has lived in the UK for 42 years has been ordered to leave or face prosecution.
Leonarda Zarcone, 74, who has three children and four grandchildren in the UK, was born in Italy and has French citizenship.
After moving to the UK permanently with her husband, Marcel Brunetto, in 1981, they settled in Leicester and opened a fish and chip shop.
After the UK left the EU in 2020, her family applied for and were granted settled status, but the Home Office requested more information on Ms Zarcone before they approved her application.
An email from the government went into the grandmother’s spam emails, and she did not see it. Last month, she got a letter ordering her to leave the country.
Ms Zarcone told the SWNS news agency: “When I opened the letter it was the shock of my life. All my family and my roots are here. It’s really frightening. I have nowhere to go.
“I moved to this country 42 years ago with my husband. We raised our three children here and ran a business together here.
“I have paid National Insurance, taxes and lived an honest life. My family have made their lives here and my youngest daughter was born in the UK. We even support Leicester City football team, this is our home.”
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Tough visa rules for foreign workers
Ms Zarcone only found out about her situation with the Home Office after she was stopped by an immigration officer when returning from France in September after a family wedding.
She was eventually allowed through border control at East Midlands Airport with a 28-day visitor stamp which has now expired.
“I am now an illegal immigrant and all because of an email which was sent to my junk folder,” she added.
“I am not great with computers. It makes me cry to think I will be sent away from this country and my family because of this.”
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Ms Zarcone’s son David, who also lives in Leicester, said: “My mum’s records prove that she has been living here for decades.
“She’s receiving a state pension, so she’s paid into the system. She’s paid her taxes.
“She’s paying council tax. There’s lots of proof.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “All EU Settlement Scheme applications are carefully considered on their individual merits, on the basis of the evidence provided and in accordance with the immigration rules.
“A wide range of support remains available for applicants, including vulnerable people.
“This includes support through a Grant Funded Network of third party organisations dedicated to assisting vulnerable people with their applications.”
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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