Leadbeater confident of bill passing despite opposition from medical experts
By Ashish Joshi, health correspondent
On the eve of one of the most important votes this current cohort of MPs will likely ever cast, it was a bold, daring claim to make.
Asked by a reporter at a press conference convened in a hot, crowded room deep inside the parliamentary estate if tomorrow's assisted dying vote was likely to pass, Kim Leadbeater replied, confidently, yes, her controversial bill would be carried.
It would take a sizeable shift to swing it the other way, and opponents of the bill have been trying very hard to convince wavering MPs to do just that.
This week alone there have been significant interventions from the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists and Physicians - two professions that would be at the heart of delivering this end of life care and key in making the life or death decisions.
The setting might have been political, but the message was much less so.
Leadbeater was flanked by supporters with the most compelling, heart-wrenching testimonies.
Each told their own powerful story: of lonely, painful deaths, carefully planned journeys to Switzerland's Dignitas clinic kept secret from loved ones, and the life limiting deterioration in health and dreading what new misery the next few weeks or months would bring.
It was a powerful reminder to MPs that away from the parliamentary process and bill scrutiny, ultimately this is what the legislation is all about.
There was a (questionable) assurance from Lord Falconer that the House of Lords would respect the will of the people and the bill will pass through the upper chamber without difficulty.
The timetable is tight, but it appears the country is ready for change - a historic one.
