The peer is an ex-Labour MP and secretary of state for culture, media and sport as well as a former chairman of the Environment Agency.
Downing Street declined to say “at this stage” whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham was considering an inquiry, reiterating that it was “a moment for reflection”, and that it was right for “the usual processes” like an inquest, to conclude.
An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of death, which could take several weeks, London Inner South Coroner’s Court said.
Once complete, the coroner will confirm if an inquest will take place.
Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said he was angry about what happened to Arday, and the university establishment – not just Cambridge – should have “done the robust due diligence and checking that should happen with any senior academic appointment”.
Speaking to the ‘s Today programme, the shadow housing secretary said he felt Arday was used as “bragging rights by some universities”, and that people spoke of his “age and his ethnicity rather than his talent”.
Sir James – who was Britain’s first black home secretary and foreign secretary – said much of the coverage surrounding Arday was “quite possibly” motivated by racism, but that the questions over plagiarism were legitimate, regardless of motivation.
The plagiarism row began after another academic – self-defined “race realist” Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 – said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in the professor’s work.
Cofnas’s post had been terminated amid a backlash to his view that under a true meritocracy black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.
Cambridge had celebrated Arday’s appointment as a young black professor, one of a tiny and visible minority in academia. Only 1% of professors in UK universities are black, making each appointment hugely significant.
On Sunday, more than 200 people attended a vigil at Cambridge that was organised by some of Arday’s students.