Will champagne lose its cachet?

RULES protecting famous European food and drink like champagne and Parma ham could be torn up if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

British negotiators have warned Brussels that the UK will devise its own list of protected products if the EU stalls on a trade deal. The bloc’s rules provide special protection for hundreds of products, and mean that only items made in specific geographic areas can be labelled as genuine.

The regulations are estimated to be worth about £50 billion a year, and the EU has demanded that Britain give automatic recognition to the 1,400 products it already protects.

But Brussels sources say the UK is refusing to sign off on an agreement unless the EU agrees broader concessions on trade, instead saying it will draw up its own list – with no guarantee that EU goods will be on it.

A move to axe the protections could also have consequences for the UK, which has successfully had special status extended to many British products, such as Cornish pasties and Scotch Whisky.