Reform councillor compares local volunteer to Nazi collaborator

Carl Johnson, a Reform UK councillor, told a 78-year-old volunteer she was acting like a Nazi collaborator during a parish council meeting in Essex. The exchange occurred on October 14, 2026, at the Wethersfield parish council meeting. Johnson made the comparison after Mair Godley revealed she had previously helped teach English to asylum seekers housed at a nearby facility.

Johnson attended the meeting to brief parish members on local infrastructure and security measures. These included the repair of potholes and Operation Vanguard, a program employing private security guards to patrol town centres in the county. He held this position after Reform UK secured control of Essex county council in May 2026, ending a 25-year period of Conservative leadership.

Nick Godley, Mair’s 77-year-old husband and former parish council chair, initiated the exchange by questioning the need for Operation Vanguard. He noted that crime and antisocial behaviour incidents in nearby Braintree remained low. Johnson responded by asking who in the room was helping migrants at the Wethersfield site and facilitating what he called the invasion.

Mair Godley stated she had volunteered to teach English to the asylum seekers. Johnson replied that her actions were comparable to helping Germany during the second world war. He added that he did not want to raise his daughter in a situation where she could be raped and murdered by asylum seekers. A member of the public in attendance urged Johnson to leave the room to restore order, and he subsequently exited the meeting.

The confrontation followed a Facebook post Johnson published the week before the meeting. In that post, he described the entry of people into the country illegally as a process where they received free clothing and accommodation. He wrote that he had never known a country to actively facilitate its own invasion and population replacement, calling the practice treason.

Mair Godley described the interaction as a violation of her person. She said she told Johnson at the meeting that he was not wanted there and that his comments left a bad taste. Nick Godley characterized the discussion regarding Operation Vanguard as challenging, noting it had been introduced without local consultation. He stated that a member of the public suggested strongly that Johnson should depart.

Nick Godley has lodged a formal complaint with Essex county council regarding Johnson's remarks. A council spokesperson said they would comment once the complaint had been investigated and a finding of a breach was made. Neither Reform UK nor Johnson has responded to requests for comment as of October 28, 2026.

The Wethersfield site is one of two former military bases used by the Home Office for mass asylum seeker accommodation. The other site is located at Crowborough in Sussex. Hundreds of asylum seekers are currently housed at the Wethersfield facility near the Godley residence.