UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday a “tragedy on so many levels”, urging people to reflect rather than rush to judgement.
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Arday, 41, was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene and his death was unexpected but not believed to be suspicious.
Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, resigned as Professor of Sociology of Education last week following plagiarism allegations involving his PhD thesis and scrutiny of other claims about his background.
Burnham told broadcasters during a visit to Cornwall:
“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.”
Arday's family said he had faced a “campaign of misinformation”, while his resignation letter said persistent accusations and public commentary had taken a “profound toll” on him and those close to him.
His friend Jolyon Maugham and supporters have criticised the level of public scrutiny Arday faced. National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said Arday “deserved due process and fairness”.
Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the university was “desperately saddened” by his death and offered condolences to his family and friends.
