Calls for public inquiry into Jason Arday witch hunt

The Good Law Project has issued a statement calling for an immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press, following the death of Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor of sociology of education. Arday, 41, was found dead at a residential address in Battersea, south London, on Friday.

He had resigned from his position at Cambridge on August 5 amid allegations of plagiarism and questions surrounding some of his achievements. Arday had consistently denied the claims, and Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded him a PhD in 2015, concluded that he did not plagiarise any work, though the intense media scrutiny placed enormous pressure on him.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

A group of prominent politicians and public figures have signed the statement, including Green Party leader Zack Polanski, Labour MPs Bell Ribiero-Addy, Clive Lewis, and Nadia Whittome, alongside former England footballer Eni Aluko, National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede, and broadcaster Carol Vorderman, pressing for accountability in media reporting.

Lord Woolley, principal of Homerton College at Cambridge, revealed that he and close friends met with Arday four days prior to his death to offer support, noting that Arday had been subjected to a vicious witch hunt. He added that figures such as Diane Abbott and Misan Harriman gathered to assist because they too had experienced horrible media attention during their careers.

"On that day, we saw a man half his body weight and desperate beyond belief."

Lord Woolley

Meanwhile, Windrush campaigner Sir Patrick Vernon has launched a fundraising initiative that has successfully generated over 90,000 pounds for Arday's family. Additionally, a vigil organized by the group Stand Up To Racism is scheduled to take place on Monday evening in Trafalgar Square.

Source: BBC Politics