Meghan is accused of 'peddling conspiracy theories' by suggesting comments by Ann Widdecombe on Celebrity Big Brother were part of 'Palace leaks' to make the Duchess a 'scapegoat' - as Netflix show is branded 'revenge'

Former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, 75, was dragged into the fray last night after the latest trailer for Meghan and Harry's Netflix documentary suggested Palace aides 'fed' negative stories about the couple to the media as a 'distraction' technique. The looming attack on The Firm by the Sussexes - expected to be unprecedented in nature - will be laid out in full from 8am today, when the second half of their six-part docuseries is finally released. In yesterday's teaser clip, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, and her allies claimed there was a 'war against Meghan' that saw people briefed to tell unfavourable stories about her and the Duke, 38, in a bid to make damaging tales about other royals 'go away'. Alongside the visuals appears a newspaper article on how Ms Widdecombe branded the Duchess 'trouble' during her stint on Big Brother in 2018. However the ex-politician said last night that Meghan is 'paranoid' if she believes she had been 'briefed' to make the comment. She said: 'If she doesn't believe that then she is deliberately peddling conspiracy theories which have no basis in fact. I did say it on Big Brother but it was not about race.' It comes as the claims made in the trailer yesterday were quickly declared by royal experts as 'nonsense', while one commentator said the series was clearly a 'form of revenge'. In one clip, the Duchess herself suggested she was made a scapegoat, adding: 'You would see it play out. A story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute, and they'd go: 'We've got to make that go away'.' But Royal Editor for the Daily Mail Rebecca English said last night that only someone 'utterly ignorant of the media' would suggest that she would steer clear of a story about a royal family member in return for a disparaging tale about Meghan or Harry.