Tom Evans and Kate James’s lawyers will go to the Court of Appeal in London at 2pm to overturn a High Court ruling stopping them flying him to the Pope’s children’s hospital in Rome.

Mr Evans says his son has been ‘left to die’ inside Alder Hey and said: ‘Alfie is still fighting. He’s not suffering. He’s not had any pain.

‘I believe I am getting closer to bringing him home. We would be happy with that. But we would be happier to get him to Italy for his treatment.’

He added: ‘We were told he wouldn’t last five minutes and here we are 36 hours later. Not even an animal would be treated like this’.