The Press Complaints Commission has disbanded as a result of the ongoing controversy of the phone hacking scandal.

It was unanimously agreed that the regulatory body should move into a transitional phase while the Leveson inquiry is completed, where its assets, liabilities and staff would move to a new press watchdog.

The details of the restructure are yet to be confirmed; however Lord Hunt, chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, pledges that the replacement body will be "a robust, independent regulator with teeth".

Lord Hunt hopes the redesigned monitoring service, designed by the PCC’s Reform Committee, will aid the press to recover a level of integrity.

The Commission agreed that there should be ongoing dialogue with Lord Justice Leveson’s team throughout the proposed transitional phase.

The CIPR believes that continuity is essential in the proposed transitional arrangements and the new regulatory structure that replaces the PCC must actively build public trust.

CIPR CEO Jane Wilson, says: “The PCC has been unable to maintain public confidence in recent years, mainly due to the unwillingness of some titles to submit to industry self-regulation and questions regarding its effectiveness as a deterrent to poor professional conduct, including those concerns raised at the Leveson inquiry.

“The transitional arrangements must provide continuity and the regulatory regime that follows it should be one that actively rebuilds public trust in the professional standards of UK journalism but does not cross the line into Government control of media.”