Essex Meeting: Councillor Compares Volunteer to Nazi Collaborator

A 78-year-old woman in Essex says a local councillor compared her to a Nazi collaborator during a parish council meeting.

Mair Godley, who lives near the former Wethersfield military base, volunteers to teach English to asylum seekers housed by the Home Office at the site. She says Reform UK councillor Carl Johnson accused her of facilitating an invasion during a meeting on October 14. Johnson attended the session to update the parish council on local issues, including pothole repairs and Operation Vanguard, a private security patrol in Essex town centers.

Johnson made the comments after Mair Godley's husband, Nick, challenged him on those topics. Nick Godley, 77, is a former chair of the parish council. He asked Johnson if Operation Vanguard was necessary to protect locals from asylum seekers, noting that crime and antisocial behavior in nearby Braintree remained low. Johnson then asked if anyone in the room was helping the migrants and facilitating the invasion.

Mair Godley confirmed she had previously volunteered to teach English at the facility. Johnson reportedly said her actions were similar to helping Germany during World War II. He added that he did not want his daughter raised to be raped and murdered by asylum seekers. Draft minutes from the meeting state the discussion became heated. Members asked Johnson to leave the room to restore order.

Johnson had posted on Facebook the week before the meeting. He wrote that people entering the country illegally received free clothing and accommodation while others paid for the same items. He called this practice treason and said he had never known a country to facilitate its own invasion and population replacement.

Mair Godley described feeling violated by the exchange. She told Johnson at the meeting that he was not wanted there. Nick Godley said a member of the public urged Johnson to leave. He has lodged a formal complaint with Essex county council. A council spokesperson said it comments on complaints only after an investigation finds a breach. Reform UK and Johnson have not responded to requests for comment.

Wethersfield is the larger of two former military sites used for mass asylum accommodation. The other is located in Crowborough, Sussex. Reform UK took control of Essex county council in May 2026, ending 25 years of Conservative leadership.