Cambridge academics launch own inquiry after claiming review into colleague was ‘watered down’

The CAF said it would also investigate whether equality, diversity and representation policies influenced the decision to appoint him.

The investigation will be chaired by Lord Singh of Solihull, a Conservative life peer and professor of social and community psychiatry at the University of Warwick.

The panel will also include Harvard psychologist Professor Steven Pinker, University College London sociologist Professor Alice Sullivan, Cambridge historian Professor Robert Tombs and Labour peer Lord Glasman.

The CAF said its inquiry would ensure that questions originally identified by Cambridge received a full and independent examination.

Edward Skidelsky, the committee’s founder and director, said the organisation was concerned that Cambridge had “watered down” its investigation.

He argued the circumstances surrounding Mr Arday’s appointment raised important questions about “academic standards, institutional integrity and recruitment on merit”.

The review follows changes to Cambridge’s own investigation, announced by vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice in September, after Mr Arday was found dead at his London home in August, aged 41.

Mr Arday, who became the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s history, had resigned from his position as professor of sociology days before his death.

His departure followed the university’s announcement that it would investigate allegations of plagiarism within the scholar’s work.

The controversy intensified after he was publicly accused of copying sections of another student’s work into his doctoral thesis.

When Cambridge initially announced its investigation, Professor Prentice described the case as an “aberration” that raised questions about the university’s academic standards.

She promised a thorough and transparent inquiry, acknowledging that improvements were needed.

However, the subsequent review focused on the support and protections available to Mr Arday, as well as the university’s wider policies and decision-making processes.

Professor Prentice said Cambridge had worked hard to support Mr Arday during what she called an “appalling period of external criticism and focus”, but acknowledged that his death had prompted questions about whether more could have been done.

The CAF argued that the revised approach shifted emphasis and accused the investigation of diverting attention from the original questions about Mr Arday’s appointment and the scrutiny of his academic work.

The independent CAF investigation will assess whether his scholarly output and academic standing met the standards expected of a Cambridge professor, whether the university carried out appropriate checks before his appointment, and how it responded to concerns about his qualifications and research.

The committee will also examine concerns about Mr Arday’s academic work, which were reportedly raised with senior university figures as early as 2023.

Lord Singh told the Telegraph that Mr Arday’s death was a tragedy, and stressed that his family, friends and colleagues were still grieving.

He said the review had a responsibility to assess the evidence fairly and scrutinise the actions of both individuals and institutions.

The CAF’s inquiry will operate separately from Cambridge’s review and reach its own conclusions based on the evidence available, but has no statutory powers to compel witnesses or require documents to be produced.

The committee expects to publish its findings within four months.

GB News has approached the University of Cambridge for comment.