Post Office campaigner Alan Bates has agreed a multi-million pound compensation figure from the Post Office, sources close to the deal have confirmed to the BBC.

The payout for Sir Alan comes more than 20 years after he started campaigning for justice for victims of the Horizon scandal which led a group of 555 sub-postmasters launching landmark legal action against the Post Office.

The exact sum paid to Sir Alan has not been made public and he has not responded to requests for comment.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted after the faulty Horizon IT system indicated shortfalls in Post Office branch accounts.

Hundreds more poured their own savings into their branch to make up apparent shortfalls in order to avoid prosecution.

Marriages broke down, and some families believe the stress led to serious health conditions, addiction and even premature death.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: “We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims.

“We can confirm that Sir Alan’s claim has reached the end of the scheme process and been settled.”

As of September 2025, a total of £1.23bn had been awarded to more than 9,100 sub-postmasters.

Sir Alan first received an offer of redress in January 2024, which he rejected, describing it as “cruel and derisory”.

He was made another offer in May 2024 which he said was around a third of what he had requested. In May of this year, he said that he’d received a third offer for less than 50% of his original claim.

Sir Alan was part of the Group Litigation Order compensation scheme, under which claimants can either receive £75,000 or seek their own settlement.

As part of plan to claim his own settlement, Mr Bates told the BBC his lawyers had included compensation owed for his 20 years of campaigning for justice for those sub-postmasters caught up in the scandal.

The Post Office/Horizon scandal reached new heights in the public consciousness last year after Sir Alan’s campaign for justice was portrayed in the ITV drama series Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

The government adopted all but one of the recommendations of a report published following an inquiry into the scandal.

The inquiry detailed the full human impact of the scandal for the first time: the report said that more than 13 people may have taken their own lives as a result of what happened to them.

Earlier this year, Sir Alan accused the government of putting forward a “take it or leave it” offer of compensation amounting to less than half of his claim.

Many victims have previously complained about being forced to accept low offers of compensation, without the benefit of legal help.

Last month, the government announced that all victims who are claiming compensation will now be entitled to free legal advice to help them with their offers.

There are four different compensation schemes, which are aimed at different groups of victims.

Individual eligibility for compensation depends on the particular circumstances of each case.

However, the schemes have been criticised for being too slow and complicated, with many of the worst-affected victims receiving far less than their original claims.

Primark saw sales drop in the UK as people spent less at the budget retailer, its owner Associated British Foods (ABF) said.

In the year to September it saw a 3.1% fall in like-for-like sales compared with the year prior, which it said reflected weak consumer confidence.

The company said it expected the “subdued” retail market to impact Primark sales into 2026.

ABF said that it was exploring splitting off the fast-fashion retailer from its food business, where it owns brands like Twinings, Ovaltine and Ryvita.

The entire business saw profits fall by 13% to £1.4bn for the year.

Chief executive George Weston said though he was “confident” for 2026, it depended on the “consumer environment” which was was “particularly unpredictable at the moment”.

British shoppers have been tightening their belts amid rising prices on the UK high street, and turning to even cheaper competitors such as Shein and Temu.

Inflation, the rate at which prices rise, has held stubbornly at 3.8% for the year to September. Although inflation is down from highs seen in 2022-2023, it remains above the Bank of England’s target of 2%.

The Associated British Foods boss said in a call after the financial results that there was a “working assumption” in ABF that a separation of Primark “is where we would like to get to”, although no decision had been made.

Dan Coatsworth from AJ Bell said it was not clear what triggered a rethink by the board, which had previously pushed back against the idea of a break-up, but did say Primark could command a much higher share price as a standalone company separate from its food business, which AB Foods said was “less well-understood” by the market.

Mr Coatsworth said over the years many people have expressed a desire to only invest in Primark, rather than have its rapid growth “diluted” by non-retail interests.

He added that “the wheels are being greased for a corporate break-up”, especially as such demergers are “all the rage” at present, with Unilever, Kraft Heinz and Warner Bros Discovery among those currently in the process.

“The idea of ‘slimming to greatness’ is based on the principle that big companies might benefit from having a tighter focus rather than spinning three or four plates at the same time,” he added.

Laura Lambie from Rathbones added that ABF was a “disparate mixture of businesses with no real strategic rationale behind it”.

Primark, which has 475 stores in 18 countries, had reached the size where it requires extra focus to capitalise on its growth prospects, particularly overseas said analysts, with one saying Primark was the “jewel” in ABF’s crown.

But Primark’s challenges in the UK could worsen as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to raise taxes in the Budget later this month.

That would come on top of cost rises seen since the last Budget, including more expensive staffing costs as a result of the rise in minimum wage.

People are feeling insecure about their jobs as businesses cut back on hiring, said Laura Lambie from Federated Hermes, and that was part of what was fuelling a “difficult environment” for retailers as profit margins shrunk.

The news comes as a series of casualties on the UK high street continue as the costs of maintaining bricks-and-mortar stores becomes too high amidst rising online competition and pressure on consumer spending.

Recent retail names that have had to close stores or enter administration include Bodycare, Claire’s, and Pizza Hut which said it will be slashing the number of restaurants it operates.