WHEN 11-year-old Leon Williams strolled boldly into a meeting room in the House of Commons he was determined to make a point.

He politely shook MP Tony Lloyd firmly by the hand and begged him help his two schoolchums, Nardin and Karin Mansour – two of the children being held in detention along with their family who are appealing against deportation to Egypt.

Asylum seeker dad-of-five Hany Mansour claims his religious beliefs as a Coptic Christian has led to him being persecuted and tortured back home in Luxor and that his life would be in danger if he returned.

Since the family were seized in a dawn swoop on their home three weeks ago, Our Lady’s Primary School in Whalley Range, where two of the Mansour children are pupils, have been battling tirelessly to get them released.

They extended their platform to Westminster with a delegation of children, teachers and parents taking their case into parliament – and 100 letters and a 2,500 name petition – and ultimately to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas.

"The room was awesome; full of telephones and there was a formal atmosphere but Leon was so confident.

"He just walked right in and said what he needed to say," said his mum Carrie Hetherington, who helped organise the protest rally to London.

Equally vocal was Jamie Cooper, who made the trip on the day before his 11th birthday.

The youngster’s anxieties over young children being held in detention reflected the views of all protesters who are outraged that the family are still in custody three weeks after arrest.

Currently they are being detained at Yorkswood in Bedfordshire after being shifted from the Gatwick holding centre at Tinsley House.

Campaigners detect the move to more suitable accommodation proves that the Home Office – who initially planned almost overnight expulsion back to Cairo – are willing to reconsider.

Assistant headteacher Anna Ward, who joined the rally in London, said: "To keep a family with five young children in detention for three weeks is totally unacceptable."

The petition demands that the Home Office stop further attempts to deport the family, who have strong links with the church and the community, and give them leave to remain in view of the fact they are settled and that the children have thrived at school.

A new asylum claim is being considered.