Jason Arday inquiry petition passes 31,000 signatures

More than 31,000 people, including several MPs, have signed a petition urging UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to hold a public inquiry into alleged media harassment of Jason Arday, the Good Law Project said on Sunday.

The campaign group launched the petition after Arday, 41, was found dead on Friday. Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

The Good Law Project had been supporting Arday after he resigned on August 5 from Cambridge University and as a fellow of Jesus College. Both institutions had opened investigations into allegations that he had plagiarised work and fabricated or exaggerated parts of his life story.

Arday disputed the allegations. In a letter published when he resigned, he said leaving was "the only way" to end a difficult period, but should not be mistaken for accepting the narratives around him.

The Good Law Project alleged that Arday's death was the "direct, foreseeable and foreseen result of press harassment" and said racism was central to the case. Family and friends have also denounced what they called "a campaign of sustained abuse" since his 2023 appointment at Cambridge.

Simon Woolley, Arday's former mentor and a senior Cambridge University figure, told the BBC that he and friends had seen Arday last Monday. Woolley said Arday told them he "felt hounded to death" and "couldn't see a way out".

The plagiarism allegations drew media coverage after academic Nathan Cofnas said in July that he had found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday's work. British media and right-wing commentators also claimed Arday had unfairly benefited from diversity, equality and inclusion policies.

A vigil for Arday is due to be held in London's Trafalgar Square on Monday evening. A fundraising campaign to support his family has raised almost £89,000.