Volunteer, 78, says Reform councillor compared her to Nazi collaborator over English lessons for asylum seekers

A 78-year-old volunteer has said a Reform UK councillor accused her of "facilitating the invasion" and likened her to a Nazi collaborator from the second world war because she 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. The Home Office uses the site to house hundreds of asylum seekers. It is the larger of two former military sites used for mass accommodation, the other being at Crowborough in Sussex.

The couple said the remarks were directed at Mair Godley during a parish council meeting on 14 October. Reform took control of Essex county council after the elections in May 2026, ending 25 years of Conservative control. Councillor Carl Johnson attended the meeting to brief members on local matters the parish council is responsible for, including pothole repairs and "Operation Vanguard", under which private security guards patrol Essex town centres.

Nick Godley challenged Johnson about the potholes and asked whether Operation Vanguard was needed to protect residents from asylum seekers. He said crime and antisocial behaviour were low in nearby Braintree, a town asylum seekers sometimes visit. He described the exchange as "fairly challenging" and said he had raised concerns that the scheme was introduced without consultation.

Johnson then asked whether anyone present had been helping the migrants at Wethersfield and "facilitating the invasion". Mair Godley said she had previously volunteered to teach English to asylum seekers at the facility. According to the couple's account, Johnson replied that she might as well have been helping Germany during the second world war. He also reportedly said he did not want to bring up his daughter to be raped and murdered by asylum seekers.

The week before the meeting, Johnson had written in a Facebook post that people who enter the country "illegally" receive items including clothing and accommodation for free while "the rest of us" must pay. "I have never known a country to actively facilitate its own invasion and population replacement," he wrote. "This is treason."

Draft minutes of the meeting, seen by the Guardian, record that the discussion became heated and that Johnson was asked to leave to "restore order". Nick Godley said it was a member of the public who forcefully suggested Johnson should go. "Cllr Johnson's behaviour was shocking," he said.

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 has lodged a formal complaint about Johnson's comments with Essex county council. A council spokesperson said it comments on complaints only once they have been investigated and a breach has been found, and not before that point. Reform UK and Johnson have not responded to repeated requests for comment.