The death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday is a “tragedy” and should be a “moment for reflection”, the prime minister said during a visit to Cornwall.
The academic, who resigned following a plagiarism row, was found dead at a property in Battersea on Friday afternoon.
His family said they are “in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son”, adding “the campaign of misinformation was too much” for him.
Professor Arday told a friend he felt he “couldn’t go on” in a voice note sent hours before he died, it emerged on Saturday.
Speaking on Saturday, Andy Burnham told reporters: “It’s a tragedy on so many levels, but particularly just for everybody who knew Jason, his family obviously, his friends. We think of them today.
“It’s not a moment for any rushing to judgement. It’s a moment for reflection, I would say, reflecting on how things came to this.
“A really sad, sad and sorry state of affairs, and I think we all today think of Jason, his contribution, and his family and friends.”
Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, University of Cambridge professor and director of the Autism Research Centre, told the BBC he had spoken to Prof Arday on Friday morning.
Sir Simon told Radio 4’s Today programme: “He was being subjected to relentless scrutiny, including ridicule, discrediting absolutely every detail of his life, and he wasn’t coping with the loss of his career, the loss of his reputation, and he felt he couldn’t go on.”
“He used those words in voice notes,” he added.
Sir Simon said Prof Arday was a “kind and gentle” man who had been “bombarded by every media outlet” and used as a “lightning rod” to examine diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
“At the heart of all of this was a man who’d been diagnosed in childhood with disabilities that included autism and language delay and learning differences.
“He was a vulnerable child, a vulnerable teenager, and a vulnerable adult, so he needed and deserved safeguarding and support and reasonable adjustment every step of the way,” he added.
In a statement issued by Prof Arday’s publisher Simon & Schuster UK, his family said: “Jason was subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse for more than three years since he accepted the role of professor at Cambridge University by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him.
“The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone.
“We are in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said officers were alerted to the death by the London Ambulance Service at 3.12pm on Friday.
They said: “Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.
“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 3.06pm on Friday 14 August to reports of an incident on Daley Thompson Way, SW8.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic in a fast response car and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team.
“Sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Prof Arday, a professor of sociology of education who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor in 2023, quit following a series of media reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis – completed at Liverpool John Moores University – and other research.
Further questions were asked in the press about the truth of other claims he made, including saying he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5m for charity.
An investigation at Liverpool John Moores University cleared Prof Arday of wrongdoing.
Durham and Glasgow universities are investigating the circumstances around his appointment to academic posts there.
Prof Arday said in his open resignation letter that the “only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away”.
He said: “This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge.
“Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.
“It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”
Professor Deborah Prentice, the University of Cambridge vice-chancellor, said she was “desperately saddened”, adding: “Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”
Prof Arday’s death has prompted an outpouring of anger.
Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said “serious questions need to be answered” over the “relentless media attacks Jason faced”, as she sent her condolences to his family.
