All sides were claiming victory after a ruling by the High Court on Wednesday that has left a question mark over the government's block on Interbrew's takeover of Bass Brewers. At the end of a judicial review of the Competition Commission's recommendation that Interbrew should offload Bass, High Court judge Mr Justice Moses concluded that the way the decision was reached was unfair. He said: "I am driven to the conclusion there was such an unfairness that the decision cannot stand. It must follow the Secretary of State's decision must also be set aside." Interbrew, he said, "should have been given an opportunity to comment on whether its position as owner of Bass Brewers, while at the same time being the licensor of Stella Artois to Whitbread, would inhibit competition were it required to divest Whitbread". The Competition Commission said it was considering an appeal. Interbrew's Cornell Maes insisted everything was still to play for after the "historic" ruling. "This is definitely a victory for us. The next step is to sit down with the government and talk it through again. This has got to be sorted out by the end of the year." Asked whether Interbrew was confident of retaining Bass, acquired in a £2.3bn deal, he said: "We are being pragmatic and consulting lawyers." But the commission pointed out the court's ruling did not condemn its decision, only the way in which it had been reached. "The decision still stands," a spokeswoman emphasised. A further hearing at the High Court was due to be held on Friday for the parties to decide on the next step. The government blocked the purchase in January after competition authorities said it would lead to an "effective duopoly between Interbrew and Scottish & Newcastle". {{NEWS }}