Government lawyers cancel the removal of Afusat Saliu and her two daughters, after they were taken from their home in Leeds

A mother who was due to be deported on Thursday evening, and who feared that her two young daughters would be at risk of female genital mutilation as a result, has been given a last-minute reprieve, the Guardian has learned.

Afusat Saliu and her two daughters were taken from their home in Leeds and driven to London ahead of the planned deportation, which their lawyer said breached Home Office rules because they were not given the requisite notice. But, in a letter seen by the Guardian, the government's lawyers cancelled their removal.

Afusat's lawyer Bhumika Parmar of BP Legal said she has not been told why the government decided to take the step, but speculated that it could be a result of pressure placed on the airline that was due to carry out the deportation, Virgin Atlantic. However, she said, it could equally be as a result of pressure placed on the government to ensure that the family has been given 72 hours' notice.

The letter, from the Treasury Solicitor to Saliu's lawyer, read that the removal would not go ahead, but warned that it was only a temporary measure.

The family was taken to Sheffield, then to Cayley House, a temporary facility at Heathrow, where they spent Wednesday night. "It was terrible," Saliu said. "We had to sleep on the floor. There was no privacy - if you went to the toilet, you went in front of everyone."

Speaking from the coach as she and her two children were moved again late on Thursday night, this time to Cedars detention centre near Gatwick, she said: "I felt terrible. Some of the crew at Cayley House were nice, but it was not a good environment for a child."

Virgin Atlantic came under pressure earlier on Thursday after it emerged that it was due to deport the Saliu family. Both Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and his daughter Holly, who is a senior figure at the group's management services arm, have spoken out against FGM in the past.

In a statement on Thursday evening, they reiterated their objection to FGM and called on both the British and Nigerian governments to ensure the Saliu family's safety regardless of whether or not they are eventually deported.

The pair wrote in a joint blogpost: "If Afusat Saliu and her family are deported to Nigeria, we call upon the UK and Nigerian governments to do all they can to protect the family and ensure they are not put at risk of female genital mutilation.

"As we have previously stated, FGM is a horrendous practice and a serious violation of internationally recognised human rights. The authorities must ensure the Saliu family are given all support and protection possible."

They added that it was difficult to comment on the Home Office's legal decision because they did not know the full details of the case.

They added: "While Virgin Atlantic cannot confirm whether any passengers are or are not flying with them due to data protection laws, they would view any case like this with the safety and welfare of all passengers their primary concern."

Saliu has said that she fears her daughters would be forcibly subjected to FGM by their family if they returned to Nigeria. She has also said that she believes she will be forced into a marriage against her will.

The Liberal Democrats are running a campaign to "end FGM in a generation", led by under-secretary of state for international development Lynne Featherstone and supported by deputy prime minister and party leader Nick Clegg. On Thursday, Clegg waded into the row after discussing it with Anj Handa, a friend of Saliu.

His aides told the Guardian that he subsequently wrote to the Home Office demanding more details about the Saliu family's case and was expecting a response soon.

And shadow immigration minister David Hansen MP said that he and Saliu's MP, George Mudie had written to May to ask her to halt the deportation until the outcome of an application by Saliu for permission to bring a judicial review was heard.

In a statement, he said: "The details of the case are for the Home Office to determine but it's important proper procedure was followed and the decision was made in a fair way, with reasonable consideration given to the threat of FGM, especially given the home secretary's statements on this issue and the push by Lib Dem ministers to raise awareness of it.

"Theresa May must review this case in light of the injunction and give proper consideration to the fears of what may happen to her children if she returns."

Saliu, a victim of female genital mutilation, has previously spoken of her conviction that her daughters will also be mutilated and her fear that, as Christians, they could be targeted by the Nigerian Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, which recently kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls.

More than 120,000 have signed a petition on the website Change.org calling on the Home Office to reconsider the case.