Reform councillor compares volunteer to Nazi collaborator at Essex meeting
Carl Johnson told a 78-year-old woman she was facilitating an invasion because she taught English to asylum seekers near a former military base.
By Larissa Shah ·
Mair Godley, 78, says she was called a Nazi collaborator by a Reform UK councillor during a parish council meeting on 14 October. The exchange occurred in Wethersfield, Essex, a location where the Home Office houses hundreds of asylum seekers in a former military base.
Carl Johnson attended the meeting to brief the council on local issues, including pothole repairs and Operation Vanguard. Operation Vanguard involves private security guards patrolling town centres in Essex. Johnson took control of Essex county council in May 2026, ending a 25 year period of Conservative dominance.
Nick Godley, Mair’s husband and former chair of the parish council, challenged Johnson on the need for the security patrols. He noted that crime and antisocial behaviour in nearby Braintree were low. In response, Johnson asked if anyone in the room had been helping the migrants at the facility and facilitating the invasion.
Mair Godley identified herself as a volunteer who teaches English to asylum seekers. Johnson then stated she might as well have been helping Germany during the second world war. He added that he did not want to raise his daughter to be raped and murdered by asylum seekers. Draft minutes reviewed by The Guardian show the discussion grew heated and Johnson was asked to leave to restore order.
In a Facebook post one week before the meeting, Johnson wrote that people entering the country illegally received free clothing and accommodation. He described this as active facilitation of population replacement and called it treason. He has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Guardian.
Nick Godley filed a formal complaint with Essex county council regarding his wife’s treatment. A spokesperson for the council said they typically comment only after an investigation concludes with a finding of a breach. Mair Godley said she felt violated by the comments and told Johnson at the meeting that he was not wanted there.
Wethersfield is one of two former military sites used for mass asylum accommodation. The other site is located in Crowborough, Sussex. The incident has drawn attention to the relationship between local volunteers and the national housing strategy for asylum seekers in Essex.
