British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for a period of reflection following the sudden death of Jason Arday, a former professor at the University of Cambridge, who had recently resigned amid accusations of plagiarism and questions about his accomplishments.

Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, was found dead at a London address on Friday. His death, which police are treating as unexpected but not suspicious, has prompted discussions about the intense media scrutiny he faced and its potential impact.

"It's not a moment for any rushing to judgment. It's a moment for reflection, I would say, reflecting on how things came to this," Burnham told reporters, describing Arday's death as "a tragedy on so many levels."

The 41-year-old professor resigned last week from his position in the sociology of education after facing allegations of plagiarism in his academic work, as well as scrutiny over claims regarding his athletic achievements and fundraising efforts.

Arday's family stated that he had endured "years of abuse and harassment" and a "campaign of misinformation" since taking up his post at Cambridge, which they said was "too much for Jason."

"He was being subjected to relentless scrutiny, including ridicule, discrediting absolutely every detail of his life, and he wasn’t coping with the loss of his career, the loss of his reputation," said Cambridge professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre, in comments to the BBC.

Police were called to a south London address on Friday afternoon, where a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. A friend of Arday's reported that the professor had sent a voice note earlier on Friday stating he "felt he couldn’t go on."

Questions about Arday's academic credentials were first raised publicly last month by Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher. Subsequent media reports alleged that more than 100 passages in Arday's 2015 doctoral thesis were identical or nearly identical to passages in an earlier paper by another researcher. Arday had denied the plagiarism claims but acknowledged some errors in his doctoral work.

Further scrutiny also focused on Arday's claims about his life, including statements that he had raised 5.5 million pounds for charity through feats such as running 30 marathons in 35 days. He later revised these claims. Questions were also raised about his assertion of overcoming developmental delays that left him non-verbal until age 11, a condition he attributed to a childhood autism diagnosis.

Cambridge University initially stated that the plagiarism allegations had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday's doctorate. However, the university later announced it had opened its own investigation "following new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments." University vice chancellor Deborah Prentice expressed deep sadness at his death and indicated a review of the university's hiring practices for senior staff would be conducted.

Some commentators have characterized the criticism against Arday as part of broader culture war debates, with some viewing him as a victim of media "hounding" and racism. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, suggested that the questions about Arday's credibility "unleashed a tirade of racism," arguing that the intense public campaign turned him into a symbol and could deter individuals from underrepresented backgrounds from seeking prominent positions.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan described Arday as having been "the victim of a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn’t have faced."