More than 50,000 signatures call for public inquiry into death of Professor Jason Arday

More than 50,000 people have backed a call for a public inquiry into the death of Professor Jason Arday in little more than 24 hours, as pressure continues to grow over the media treatment he faced in the weeks before his death.

The letter, organised by the Good Law Project, is addressed to the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary and calls for an immediate public inquiry into press conduct following the death of the 41-year-old former Cambridge professor. 

Professor Arday was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday, August 14, just over a week after resigning from his positions at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College amid allegations of plagiarism.

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The Good Law Project letter argues that Arday was subjected to what it describes as sustained and disproportionate media harassment. It says warnings had been raised about his vulnerability and the possible consequences of the intense scrutiny before his death. 

The campaign has attracted support from a prominent group of politicians, academics, campaigners and public figures, including Diane Abbott MP, Lord Simon Woolley, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Clive Lewis MP, Sir Patrick Vernon OBE, Carol Vorderman, Eniola Aluko and Misan Harriman. 

The speed at which the petition has grown is likely to intensify calls for the Government to respond. Earlier on Sunday, the campaign had attracted around 31,000 signatures; it has now surged past the 50,000 mark in just over a day.

The letter calls for an inquiry examining how a responsible press can be ensured following Arday's death, while also raising broader questions about racism, press regulation and the treatment of vulnerable people subjected to intense public scrutiny. 

Professor Arday's death has already prompted growing calls from political and academic figures for scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the media campaign against him.