A hospital in New York has offered to admit the critically-ill British child, Charlie Gard, who has been the centre of a legal struggle to receive experimental therapy. The hospital said it would also be willing to send the treatment to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK if his transfer to the USA could not be occur. In a statement, the New York hospital said it had “agreed to admit and evaluate Charlie, provided that arrangements are made to safely transfer him to our facility, legal hurdles are cleared, and we receive emergency approval from the FDA for an experimental treatment as appropriate”.

It added: “Alternatively, if approved by the FDA, we will arrange shipment of the experimental drug to Great Ormond Street hospital and advise their medical staff on administering it if they are willing to do so.”