The ruling confirms the Central Arbitration Committee’s (CAC) judgment from November last year, which the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain was seeking to overturn.

The CAC found that Deliveroo riders are self-employed.

The High Court rejected claims that such categorisation breached riders’ human rights.

Mr Justice Supperstone stated that they lacked “an employment relationship” with the company, meaning no right to collective bargaining applied to them.

IWGB said it would appeal the ruling, claiming the majority of Deliveroo riders wanted workers’ rights as well as union recognition.

General secretary, Jason Moyer-Lee, said: “[The] judgment is a terrible one, not just in terms of what it means for low-paid Deliveroo riders, but also in terms of understanding the European Convention on Human Rights.

“Deliveroo riders should be entitled to basic worker rights, as well as to the ability to be represented by trade unions to negotiate pay and terms and conditions.”

However, Dan Warne, UK managing director of Deliveroo, said the outcome was “a victory for riders who have consistently told us the flexibility to choose when and where they work, which comes with self-employment, is their number one reason for riding with Deliveroo”.