The Foreign Secretary David Lammy has referred himself to the Environment Agency after breaking the law on a joint fishing trip with US Vice President JD Vance earlier this week.
At the time of the fishing expedition, which took place on the private lake at Lammy’s Chevening estate, the foreign secretary did not have a rod license, which is required for all freshwater fishing in the UK.
Those who break the rules can face a £2,500 fine as well as, in some cases, a criminal record.
Confirming the oversight, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The foreign secretary has written to the Environment Agency over an administrative oversight that meant the appropriate licences had not been acquired for fishing on a private lake as part of a diplomatic engagement at Chevening House last week.”
“As soon as the foreign secretary was made aware of the administrative error, he successfully purchased the relevant rod fishing licences. He also wrote to the Environment Agency notifying them of the error, demonstrating how it would be rectified, and thanking them for their work protecting Britain’s fisheries.”
It is understood this was the first time the foreign secretary had fished at Chevening House and that all fish caught were returned to the private lake.
Lammy said he did not catch any fish.
Vance is visiting the UK on holiday with his family and began his trip with a stay at Chevening estate.
Lammy and the US vice-president held talks and spoke to reporters, as well as going fishing together.
Referring to each other in amicable terms, Vance at one point joked: “Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not.”
Vance is currently spending the rest of his holiday in the Cotswolds.
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