Vote expected on Friday afternoon, as those running campaigns for and against say it is too close to call

MPs are hours away from deciding whether to legalise assisted dying for those with less than six months to live, in a knife-edge historic vote.

The private member’s bill, brought by the Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, will be debated from 9.30am on Friday in the House of Commons with a vote expected at about 2.30pm.