'Professor Plagiarism' falsely claimed to have written book as it emerges aide of Lucy Powell appointed under-fire Professor as patron of her charity last year

By CHRISTIAN CALGIE, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE Published: 17:00, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 17:29, 5 August 2026 The Cambridge University professor and diversity poster boy Jason Arday falsely claimed to have written a book, it has emerged. Professor Arday repeatedly asserted that he authored a book entitled Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the Dominant Discourse. However, in the latest CV boast to have unravelled, it was confirmed today that the supposed book never hit the shelves and was abandoned by Palgrave Macmillan several years ago. The publishers accepted his proposal for the book, but it was never made public. Palgrave Macmillan failed to say why. The latest development, revealed by the Telegraph, comes after a gruelling few days for both Mr Arday and the University of Cambridge. The row was sparked following allegations that the respected university's youngest black professor had plagiarised chunks of his PhD thesis from research by another student. This was followed by doubts about his claim to have run 600 miles in six days, and personally raised millions of pounds for charity. Jason Arday repeatedly said he had written a book, which it now emerges never made it to the shelves An adviser to the Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she was 'thrilled' to welcome Mr Arday as a patron of her charity last year The University of Cambridge is so far standing by their professor, in spite of the controversy His boast that he appeared in the TV series Seven Up was also questioned, given it was first broadcast two decades before his birth in 1985. And multiple universities have now distanced themselves from him after he claimed to have held academic positions there, including Ohio State University, Durham University and the University of Glasgow. Cambridge University has so far stood by its flagship professor, previously arguing he is the victim of a 'vile campaign to undermine his credibility'. Today the Department for Education said that the new Secretary of State, Lucy Powell, would not be intervening in the row. But Ms Powell was left red-faced after it emerged that her own adviser handed Mr Arday a role at her charity last year. Special adviser Sarah Waite, appointed this week, said she was 'thrilled' to welcome him as a Patron of Get Further, a charity that gives extra tuition to disadvantaged pupils. In a statement on their website, Ms Waite added: 'We are delighted to have such an inspiring advocate join us in this important work.' She founded the charity in 2018, after a period working in the Department for Education's social mobility team, before returning as a special adviser two days ago.  A Reform UK spokesman told the Mail: 'Professor Arday's credentials grow flimsier by the day. For the Education Secretary to appoint a senior advisor who was so easily taken in by his fantastical claims hardly inspires confidence. 'If senior government advisors can't be trusted to demonstrate basic judgement, how can the British public trust them to manage our education system?' Deputy Tory Chairman Matt Vickers said it 'beggars belief that someone who appointed Jason Arday as a patron of their education charity only last year is now at the heart of the Department for Education'. 'It seems this increasingly disgraced former Labour council candidate has friends in very high places. No wonder the University of Cambridge has been so hesitant to take action against him.' The Labour Party became further entangled in the row today after it was revealed Mr Arday stood as a candidate for the party in Croydon. He won 953 votes in the Purley and Woodcote ward of the council in 2018, losing to the Conservatives. Get Further was approached for comment.