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Victims of press intrusion including the sister of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and parents of missing child Madeleine McCann have accused publishers of "rejecting due process and the rule of law" in setting up a new industry regulator.
They claim the new body, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), which officially replaces the Press Complaints Commission on Monday, is as much a "sham regulator" as its predecessor.
In a letter to Ipso chairman Sir Alan Moses, 30 victims of press intrusion said they did not believe it would make any practical difference to those who suffer abuse by newspapers .
"By rejecting the majority of Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations, the paymasters and controllers of Ipso are rejecting due process" the letter says.
"We want an independent and effective regulatory system that will restore confidence in the British newspaper industry and provide the free and accountable press that the best of British journalism deserves. By virtue of its constitution, and the actions and published attitudes of those who have founded it, Ipso is part of the problem of the worst of UK journalism, not part of the solution.
"In its current form, Ipso retains no credibility with us or with the wider British public."
The letter added that because Ipso did not comply with many of the Leveson recommendations for press regulation reform, it was not truly independent, breaches of the industry code of practice would go unreported and unpunished, and there would be no effective and transparent investigation of serious or systematic wrongdoing.
It also said Ipso would not provide adequate remedy for victims of press abuse, such as apologies that are given equal prominence in a paper to the original article, or give them access to justice through low cost arbitration for those who allege defamation or breach of privacy.
Ipso has the backing of most UK newspaper and magazine companies, including the publishers of the Sun, Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Daily Mirror.
However, several national titles – including the Guardian – have refused to sign up.
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