Green election talk heats up

The Conservative government has drawn an election battle line after opposition parties massively overhauled its Clean Air Act.

A special Commons committee that finished studying the act yesterday included a provision to punish industrial polluters with heavy fines, and Tory MP Mark Warawa said that could lead to "billions of dollars of new taxes."

The House of Commons adjourns today for a two-week Easter break, and when it returns a vote on the bill amended by the committee dominated by opposition party MPs could spark an election. There is speculation that an election could be called in mid-April for either May 28 or June 4.