The debate about press regulation in the UK has been reignited by a newspaper article about a man who died almost 20 years ago.

Britain's opposition leader Ed Miliband has accused the Daily Mail of spreading lies in an article it printed about his father, describing him as "The Man Who Hated Britain".

The spat between the tabloid and Mr Miliband comes ahead of a key meeting on the future of press regulation in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

Ralph Miliband, a Belgium-born Jew, fled to Britain as a teenager in 1940 and served for the country's Navy before the war ended.

Mr Miliband went on to become a renowned academic and Marxist.

Citing a diary entry Mr Miliband wrote at the age of 17, the Daily Mail published a lengthy article saying he had "nothing but contempt for Britain's values, traditions and institutions".

Ed Miliband is not amused.

In a move he says he did not take lightly, Mr Miliband wrote a reply in the Daily Mail, which it published alongside an article reiterating its initial view.

Miliband: Mail is spreading lies

An animated Mr Miliband, sitting in front of family photos, also gave a television interview.

Analysis: Barbara Miller, ABC Europe correspondent Ed Miliband says he did not make the decision to take on the Daily Mail lightly, but in some ways the opposition leader has nothing to lose. No love is lost between the paper and the Labour party, and with or without this dispute he could have expected a rough ride between now and the next general election in 2015. The opposition leader has been keen to stress that his forthright intervention is a personal matter, a question of right and wrong, rather than one of press regulation. But that's not how many commentators are interpreting this. After something of a lull, the issue of press regulation is back in the spotlight here and a decision is looming on what system of press regulation the country will adopt. The cross-party proposal hammered out reportedly over pizza one night with victims of phone hacking is not to the liking of significant sections of the media industry and they have put forward their own competing version of a Royal Charter. The end of this month should also see some big names in court. The trial of a number of News International employees is due to start, including former chief executive Rebekah Brooks and former editor of the now defunct News of the World, Andy Coulson, who went on to become David Cameron's director of communications. Phone hacking has faded somewhat from the public conscience in recent months, but that is all about to change.

"Britain saved his life. It saved his life and this paper is saying that he hated Britain and that is a lie," he said.

"That is a lie and I'm not willing to let it stand."

Prime minister David Cameron says he has sympathy for his opponent.

"All I know is that if anyone had a go at my father I would want to respond very vigorously," he said.

"There is not a day go by when you don't think about your dad and all that he meant to you and so I completely understand why Ed would want to get his own point of view across."

The Miliband versus the Mail spat comes ahead of a key meeting in Westminster next week that could help decide which system of press regulation the UK adopts; a cross-party initiative supported by victims of phone-hacking, or an alternative proposal put forward by the industry.

Media analyst Steve Hewlett says the Mail's move is linked to the new regulation.

"It is quite possible that a new royal charter will be enacted which will set up a new recognition body for a new press self regulator, and the scheme under which that is likely to occur is one that the Mail and in fairness the vast majority of the press are really opposed to," he said.

"So they have chosen to take this opportunity to have a crack at one of the senior political leaders, Ed Miliband, who is supporting the new royal charter.

Celebrities given a break since Leveson

He says there have been some improvements in Britain's media since the Leveson inquiry following the phone-hacking scandal.

"The press are minding their Ps and Qs," he said.

"There are many fewer celebrities who have been intruded upon and exposed for nefarious goings on.

"Even in this case Ed Miliband got a right of reply which one could imagine years ago may not have been the case.

"If they had had a go at him he would say nothing about it. So the terms of the debate have already shifted."

Ed Miliband is reluctant to be drawn too far into the debate on press regulation in this instance

"This is not about regulation, it is about righting wrong and it is about the way we conduct political debate in this country," he said.

But that is not how others see it.

A prominent victim of phone hacking, the actor Hugh Grant, took to Twitter with his take: