Calls for Inquiry into Media Coverage of Late Cambridge Scholar Jason Arday

Friends of the late Jason Arday and several public figures have petitioned the prime minister for a public inquiry into the media coverage that preceded his death. The request is backed by a letter signed by about 30,000 people, including Labour MP Diane Abbott, actress Jameela Jamil, Green Party leader Zack Polanski and former footballer Eni Aluko. The letter, issued by the Good Law Project, which represented Arday after he stepped down from his Cambridge post amid plagiarism allegations, says the reporting was "relentless" and may have contributed to his demise.

Arday, 41, was found dead in Battersea, south London, on Friday. He had resigned from his role as a professor of sociology of education on 5 August after accusations that parts of his work were plagiarised, claims he denied. The controversy intensified after another academic, Nathan Cofnas, identified multiple instances of plagiarism in Arday’s publications.

Lord Simon Woolley, a peer, told BBC Radio 4 that he and close friends had visited Arday four days before his death, offering support alongside Diane Abbott and activist Misan Harriman. > "Diane said to him, she held his hand, and said we will help you get through this," he recounted.

Woolley argued that while plagiarism accusations are common in academia, the level of media scrutiny Arday faced was unusual and suggested that racial bias may have played a role. A University of Cambridge spokesperson said the institution provided Arday with counselling and other wellbeing support during his tenure. The university noted that his appointment was notable because black professors represent roughly one percent of UK university faculty.