New regulations in the UK further complicate C&C's attempts to buy the Spirit Pub Company. A vote was passed which dramatically dilutes breweries' power to force pubs to carry their drinks. Stock exchange rules mean that C&C must decide today if it wants to further pursue its €1bn bid to buy the company.

The reasoning behind C&C buying Spirit was to gain control of 1,200 pubs across the UK, improving C&C's access to the market. The company has spent years trying to grow its cider presence in the UK.

Yesterday the parliament in London voted to change pub rules, and to end 'beer-tie' agreements, deals made between pub owners and breweries. Many pub owners in the UK lease their premises from a larger pub company who has a relationship with a brewery. The publicans receive benefits like cheaper rents for purchasing their beer from these breweries at a set-price that is generally above the open market price of beer.

The ending of the 'beer-tie' will mean that 13,000 British pubs who are currently in 'beer-tie' agreements will be able to purchase their beer on the open market.

This news has wide-reaching implications; for C&C it means that the company has a new opportunity to compete on price to improve their presence in the UK without having to spend €1bn buying Spirit.

C&C's shares rose by 4 percent after the announcement, while Spirit's fell by 6 percent.

The company might still decide to buy the company, but that could be a risky move while the market is in its current state of uncertainty.

'The Campaign for Real Ale' is a group who has been campaigning on behalf of small traditional brewers in the UK.

The group welcomed the British government's decisions, releasing a statement claiming a 'landmark victory'. In it, the statement said: "The option of buying beer on the open market at competitive prices will help keep pubs open and ensure the cost of a pint to consumers remains affordable."