Volunteer, 78, says Reform official likened her to Nazi collaborator for teaching asylum seekers English

A 78-year-old volunteer has claimed a Reform UK councillor accused her of “facilitating the invasion” and being akin to a Nazi collaborator during the second world war because she has helped asylum seekers learn English. Mair Godley and her husband, Nick, 77, a former chair of Wethersfield parish council, live near the former Wethersfield military base in Essex , where the Home Office accommodates hundreds of asylum seekers. The couple said the accusations were made against Mair Godley at a parish council meeting on 14 October.

View image in fullscreen The former Wethersfield military base. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Reform took over control of Essex county council after the elections in May 2026, ending 25 years of Conservative control. The Reform councillor, Carl Johnson, attended the meeting to update members of the parish council about local issues for which it has responsibility, including repairing potholes and “ Operation Vanguard ”, which involves private security guards patrolling Essex town centres.

Wethersfield is the larger of two former military sites the Home Office uses to provide mass accommodation for asylum seekers. The other is at Crowborough in Sussex. Nick Godley challenged Johnson at the meeting about the potholes and whether Operation Vanguard was needed to protect local people against asylum seekers. He said crime and antisocial behaviour incidents in nearby Braintree, where asylum seekers sometimes go to, were low. View image in fullscreen Temporary housing units at the former Wethersfield military base.

Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian In response, Johnson asked if anyone in the room had been helping the migrants at Wethersfield and “facilitating the invasion”. Mair Godley said she had previously volunteered to help teach English to the asylum seekers at the facility. Johnson then reportedly said that by doing so she might as well have been helping Germany during second world war. He said he didn’t want to bring his daughter up to be raped and murdered by asylum seekers.

In a Facebook post the week before the parish council meeting, Johnson had written that people who enter the country “illegally” received things including clothing and accommodation for free while “the rest of us” had to pay for items. “I have never known a country to actively facilitate its own invasion and population replacement,” he wrote. “This is treason.” According to the draft minutes of the parish council meeting seen by the Guardian the discussion became heated and Johnson was asked to leave the meeting to “restore order”. skip past newsletter promotion Free newsletter | Every weekday Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters Enter your email Sign up after newsletter promotion View image in fullscreen An aerial view of part of the former Wethersfield military base.

Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Mair Godley said: “I’m nearly 79 years old. I felt violated by his comments. How dare he say that to me? I certainly told him at the meeting, ‘you are not wanted here’. He has left a really bad taste.” Nick Godley said he had had a “fairly challenging” discussion with Johnson about Operation Vanguard. It was after he had raised concerns that it had been introduced without consultation that Johnson accused Mair Godley of being akin to a Nazi collaborator by helping asylum seekers to learn English.

“It was a member of the public who attended the meeting who suggested forcibly that he should leave. Cllr Johnson’s behaviour was shocking,” said Nick Godley. He has lodged a formal complaint about Johnson’s comments at the meeting with Essex county council. A spokesperson for the council said: “We comment on complaints made at a point where they have been investigated and a finding of a breach has been made, but not before that point.”

Reform UK and Johnson have not responded to repeated requests for comment. Explore more on these topics Reform UK Immigration and asylum Essex news Share Reuse this content