A panel of five judges unanimously ruled in favour of the retailer today, saying Morrisons was not “vicariously liable” for the actions of former employee Andrew Skelton, who disclosed staff information online and sent it to newspapers.

Skelton was charged with fraud in November 2014, convicted in July 2015 and sentenced to eight years in prison. However, thousands of affected employees brought compensation claims against Morrisons, which led to a lengthy court battle.

The court’s president Lord Reed said Skelton had leaked the data due to a “grudge” he held after the business accused him of sending packages containing legal highs from its post room.