Jason Arday death ‘tragedy on so many levels’ says PM Burnham

Prime Minister Sir Andy Burnham has described the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday as a "tragedy on so many levels." He called for a moment of reflection, urging people not to rush to judgment. Arday, 41, was found dead in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon. His family expressed their shock, stating that they were overwhelmed by a "campaign of misinformation."

Arday had resigned from his position as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education last week following allegations of plagiarism and questions about some of his achievements, which he had denied. The University of Cambridge vice-chancellor Prof Deborah Prentice and Education Secretary Lucy Powell also paid tribute to Arday, expressing their condolences to his family and friends.

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan emphasized that Arday faced "an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse," calling for a wake-up call for all of us. Friends and colleagues, including Lord Paul Boateng and Prof Simon Baron-Cohen, described Arday as a kind, caring, and gentle man who had experienced immense harassment. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy called the level of media scrutiny "unheard of" for an academic, while shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said that people at academic institutions needed to answer for their actions.

Arday had previously denied the plagiarism allegations but admitted to some errors in his work, attributing them to his autism. The controversy surrounding his work and life story led to a campaign of online harassment, which had a devastating impact on Arday's mental health.