Overview
- Arday resigned his Cambridge professorship on August 5 after media reports raised questions about parts of his biography and alleged plagiarism, and he denied wrongdoing in his resignation statement.
- He was found dead in Battersea and the Metropolitan Police have classified the death as unexpected but not suspicious, saying suicide or a natural cause are possibilities while no official cause has been released.
- Cambridge has opened an independent internal inquiry into the allegations, other universities where Arday worked have signalled reviews, and Liverpool John Moores University previously found no misconduct related to his doctorate.
- The recent wave of allegations has been traced largely to US researcher Nathan Cofnas and was amplified by right‑wing newspapers and commentators, and Arday’s family described sustained public harassment of his work and private life.
- A petition started by the Good Law Project has drawn more than 31,000 signatures and vigils are planned in London, raising the prospect of a formal state investigation and renewed scrutiny of press practices and university procedures.