The parents of a 22-month-old boy who has been at the centre of a life support treatment battle have failed to persuade Supreme Court justices to consider the case.

A High Court judge has ruled that doctors can stop treating Alfie Evans, against the wishes of his parents Kate James and Tom Evans, and three Court of Appeal judges have upheld that decision.

Alfie’s parents, who come from Liverpool, wanted to stage a fight at the Supreme Court in London.

But Supreme Court justices have decided that the case is not worth arguing and have refused to give the couple “permission” to mount a further appeal.

Judges have heard that Alfie, who was born on May 9 2016, is in a “semi-vegetative state” and has a degenerative neurological condition doctors had not definitively diagnosed.

Mr Justice Hayden had analysed the case at hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London and Liverpool.

Specialists at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool said life support treatment could stop and the judge said he accepted medical evidence which showed that further treatment was futile.

Rules meant that Alfie parents could not simply ask Supreme Court justice to consider the case.

They first had to clear an initial legal hurdle by persuading justices that they had a case worth arguing.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman said on Tuesday that justices had rejected the couple’s bid after analysing written arguments from everyone involved.