Alfie Evans has continued to breathe unassisted after his life support was removed, leaving doctors "gobsmacked", his father has said.

A High Court judge will now oversee another hearing in the case of the 23-month-old boy at the centre of a life-support treatment battle.

Mr Justice Hayden had earlier dismissed a "last-ditch appeal" by Alfie's parents, Tom Evans and Kate James, giving doctors the go-ahead to stop treatment.

But "within a few minutes" of Alfie's life-support being withdrawn on Monday night, Mr Evans said it was obvious his son was breathing unassisted.

Mr Justice Hayden will now oversee a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in Manchester.

Speaking outside Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool on Tuesday morning, Mr Evans said Alfie's life-support should be reinstated due to his remarkable progress.

"He is still working, he's doing as good as he can," he told reporters.

"But we do need him to be supported ... in the next hour it's going to be hard but we will need him to be supported in the next hour or two.

"Because he's been doing it for nine hours totally unexpected, the doctors are gobsmacked and I do believe he will need some form of life-support in the next couple of hours and I think he ought to be respected and given that."

Alfie's parents want treatment to continue and want to fly him to a hospital in Rome.

His case has been highlighted by the Pope, who expressed support for the couple, and he has been granted Italian citizenship.

Mr Evans told journalists that after life-support was withdrawn, Alfie continued breathing and doctors agreed to give him oxygen and water.

"They say Alfie's suffering. Well, look at him now. He's not even on a ventilator and he's not suffering," he said.

Mr Evans said that he had a "lengthy talk" with doctors and pleaded with them to give his son oxygen.

"They left him for six hours without food, water and oxygen," he said.

"I felt blessed when they confirmed they were going to give him his water and his oxygen.

"He's now on oxygen. It's not changing his breathing but it's oxygenating his body."