The Liberal Democrats have backed Press Complaints Commission chief Lord Wakeham in his criticism of a court ruling that bans the publishing of details about a married footballer's alleged infidelities.

Nick Harvey, the Lib Dem shadow media secretary, issued a statement on Monday supporting the angry response to the ruling by a High Court judge that an article in the Sunday People broke the Human Rights Act's privacy guarantees.

Lord Wakeham had described the ruling last week as a major barrier to investigative journalism. He said stories that led to the downfall of senior politicians such as John Profumo and David Mellor would not be allowed under the new ruling.

"That is an attack on press freedom. I have every expectation that it will eventually be overthrown by the Court of Appeal...if it isn't, we have got a very serious problem," Lord Wakeham said.

Nick Harvey described the ruling as "worrying" but also called on Fleet Street's editors to remember their responsibilities.

"If this decision establishes a precedent that will completely alter the balance of responsible press and free information in the UK then it is a very worrying development.

"However, Lord Wakeham's comments would carry more weight if the Press Complaints Commission had proved to be a tougher arbiter of the press rather than the 'paper tiger' it is fast becoming," he said.

"Although it is vital that we preserve the freedoms of the press in this country, editors should remember that when they expose someone's misdemeanours they also contravene the human rights of innocent people as well," said Harvey.