The Arday Affair

Beyond Spectators: Following the American Money that Funded the Hate Against Jason Arday

How a well-connected think tank has helped bring culture wars to the UK. Nafeez Ahmed and Suha Kidwai report

The media firestorm ignited by allegations of serial plagiarism against Jason Arday had severe criticism of DEI at its centre – ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ schemes that many commentators used to attack Arday’s position as Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge University.

Referred to as ‘EDI’ in the UK, such schemes are predominantly a feature of American public policy through affirmative action.

Arday resigned as Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge University on 5 August. at Reform UK – he later stepped down after undercover filming broadcast by Channel 4 News showed him discussing foreign funding for political polls, contrary to UK electoral law. The footage is now subject to a criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police, and Cambridge University has said it is “looking into these matters”.

Of Arday, Orr wrote on X: “What terrifies me is if it turns out Jason Arday’s DEI qualifications were fake, his DEI chair was fake, his DEI discipline was fake, and his faculty and college were DEI bootcamps. Imagine the backlash against hardworking DEI hires?”